Judith, A Portrait of Solitude
by RiceKrispie
Summary: Judith and Ba'ul struggle to fulfill their mission to destroy Hermes blastia in a world that's rapidly changing around them. Covers the events of the game beginning at Ehmead Hill from Judith's point of view. Rated T for the fight scenes.
1. Chapter 1

The beginning, in which we are introduced to our dynamic duo, and receive a little background on the world they live in.

The purpose of this fic is to describe the events of Tales of Vesperia from Judith's perspective, from the point at which she first makes an appearance in the game. I'll also be getting creative with her backstory, based on what little information the game gives you through it's sub-events.

Sometimes the dialog will follow what's in the game directly, other times I'll be making it up, whichever is more interesting.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Story's mine, characters aren't.

* * *

Chapter 1

_We're getting closer,_ Ba'ul grumbled.

Judith checked the latches on her armor and scanned the plains below as Ba'ul soared by, looking for signs of the blastia. They had flown over this area several times before and Ba'ul had never felt an aer disturbance, so she assumed it was being carried by someone. She hoped they would give it up without a fight; although she enjoyed battle, fighting innocent people wasn't really high on her list of favorite things to do. _It's not their fault their blastia is a Hermes model..._

_Over there,_ Ba'ul warned her again through her telepathic abilities. She felt his mental nudge pointing north and immediately her heart sunk as she saw the white rings of a barrier hanging over the area known as Ehmead Hill.

_That definitely wasn't there before, which probably means..._she hated to destroy a barrier blastia, but leaving it intact was an even worse alternative. If the barrier came down the monsters could be handled by the Imperial Knights. If the blastia were to remain, however, the Hermes formula would consume too much of the surrounding aer, causing irreparable damage to surrounding environment.

_It is time, _Ba'ul said._ Hold on to me._

"Don't worry Ba'ul, I'm ready," Judith reassured her friend, giving him a gentle pat on the side. "Come in from the north and I'll make this quick." She readied her favourite spear.

Ba'ul trumpeted his acknowledgment as he traded altitude for speed, racing towards the location where he sensed the aer disturbance, and the Hermes blastia.

Ehmead Hill was a rather well-traveled area, serving as the only pass through the mountain range that separated the port of Capua Nor from the rest of the Illycian continent. Since it was such an important trade route Judith supposed it did make sense to place a barrier blastia there, as almost all goods shipped from the Tolbyccian continent had to pass through Ehmead Hill.

_If only they hadn't used a Hermes model..._but no one alive today would understand the difference between a regular blastia and a Hermes blastia. While both devices consumed aer to function, the Hermes model consumed aer in vastly larger quantities in exchange for a significant boost in output. However, the increased aer consumption caused the aer krene, naturally occurring springs of aer, to overcompensate for the loss and produce dangerously high volumes of aer. The result was an imbalance in the aer around the blastia that contained the Hermes formula which would then spread to surrounding areas. Such massive fluctuations in the aer density of a region would cause dramatic and sweeping change to everything on the planet, from regional climates to human metabolism. If left unchecked, it would eventually result in the world becoming uninhabitable after everything in the world died from excessive aer exposure.

Which was one reason why she had made a vow with Ba'ul to search out all the Hermes blastia in the world and destroy them before that could happen. Even if it took them their entire lives.

As they sped closer to the hill Judith was able to pick out figures walking across the path - probably merchants. A few members of the Imperial Knights were patrolling the hill as well, their silver armor shining brightly in the afternoon sun. Their plate was designed similar to hers, but where theirs was silver with rounded edges, hers was a dull grey with a pointed helmet and fluted shoulder-guards.

_Here we go,_ Ba'ul's voice echoed through her mind again as they approached the target.

She could see the blastia clearly now; it looked like an enormous jewel, gleaming all the colours of the rainbow as it reflected the afternoon sun's rays. Slightly larger than her head, the blastia core was set into a pillar-shaped body, which stood over the trail like a sentinel.

_This is going to be too easy, _Judith thought, disappointed. _No fun at all._

"Don't even bother slowing down Ba'ul, just fly alongside it."

Judith focused all her concentration on the blastia as she readied her spear, waiting for Ba'ul to close in. It wasn't a hard shot to make, but she really didn't want to miss - that would mean she'd have to fight off the Imperial Knights patrolling the hill to reach the blastia. Most of the knights were too easy and boring to bother wasting her time fighting them.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she subconsciously noted the travelers begin to notice Ba'ul's approach and point, drawing the attention of yet more others, but it didn't phase her. Her concentration was solely on the spear in her hand and the blastia on the ground, coming towards her at an alarming rate.

As Ba'ul's speed increased, time seemed to unfold slower in Judith's mind. She felt the tops of the trees skim by beneath Ba'ul's belly as they approached their target. Fifty yards became thirty, thirty quickly became twenty, twenty was fifteen, ten...

She struck the side of the blastia body with her spear as hard as she could as Ba'ul soared by. A sickening crack filled the air as the blastia core shattered and the body blew apart into hundreds of tiny fragments, spreading across the breadth of the path.

Where a normal spear would have shattered from the impact, Judith's spear was special. Not only did it house powerful magic, but it was a symbol of the pact she had made with Ba'ul to carry out their mission. She knew just how strong it was - there was nothing in the entire world that it couldn't pierce, including blastia.

Ba'ul circled back around and headed towards the blastia at a higher altitude to make sure they had completed their job. Just damaging the blastia wouldn't be enough - they had to make sure it was beyond repair. People were gathering around the ruins of the blastia as Ba'ul flew by, receiving a few more pointed fingers and even a scream.

"Look Ba'ul, we're famous," Judith said with a grin as she glimpsed briefly at the blastia. Her spear had cleaved straight through the middle of the body, shattering the core into several pieces. The crowd gathering below was torn between staring at the shattered blastia and the figure riding a beast through the skies. "We certainly made a mess this time, didn't we?" Judith said.

_We should leave before mages arrive._

"Agreed. Take us somewhere safe Ba'ul, away from here."

The pair flew off into the afternoon sky without a thought or regret for the chaos they left behind.

* * *

Later that evening, after the sun had set and the moon was beginning its skyward journey, Ba'ul contacted Judith mentally, clearly distressed.

"What's wrong, Ba'ul?" She asked.

_There is another aer imbalance down below. I can feel it somewhere in that human town. _He gave her a mental nudge northward.

"Capua Nor? But you've never felt anything there before."

_I just discovered it now. It was not there earlier today._

"It must have just been activated. That's odd though, blastia are usually assembled at Zaphias or Aspio before being shipped to their destination, so why would they-"

_Down, quickly! _Ba'ul interrupted her train of thought.

Judith was served well by her experience and quick reflexes as she was blasted by a fierce gust of air, nearly losing her seat on Ba'ul's back. The blast was followed shortly afterward by sheets of rain; a storm had materialized out of nowhere, and a fierce one, at that.

_I am not sure where this wind is coming from, but it does not blow right, _Ba'ul said as lightning flashed in the distance, the peal of thunder reaching their ears a moment later.

_We should find someplace to camp and wait out the storm,_ Judith responded mentally, not trusting Ba'ul to be able to hear her in the turbulent weather. It was too dangerous to fly in a thunderstorm, both for her and Ba'ul. She made sure that Ba'ul could feel her worry.

_Yes, this storm is not right. It should not be here. _Ba'ul was silent a moment as he lost himself in thought, then continued. _There are a number of small caves in a plateau to the east of the human town. We can stay there undetected and out of the rain._

_Fly swiftly, Ba'ul,_ Judith responded with a tinge of worry in her voice, then huddled as close to his body as possible to try and keep her seat. He responded with a good-natured rumble, as close to a chuckle as Ba'ul could ever get.

_Do you not trust me to fly you safely through one measly little thunderstorm? _Ba'ul tried to sound hurt, but failed.

_No, it's that I feel like a giant lightning rod sitting up here in this armor. And if I get hit, I'm making sure I take you down with me!_

_

* * *

_

"Are you sure you'll be okay outside? We could find a larger cave..." Judith asked as Ba'ul positioned his snakelike bulk across the entrance to the small cavern.

_I am fine. The water does not bother me as it does you. I will keep watch for the evening. You should get some sleep. My body will keep the water outside, so you may lie down without fear of waking up soaking wet._

"All right, as long as you aren't uncomfortable." There was no use arguing with Ba'ul once he started talking like that.

Judith wasted no time in stripping off her armor. While it was useful for protection and concealing her identity, it wasn't very comfortable. She had grown used to it over the years, but she still preferred to fight unhindered in her own clothes - her fighting style favored lightweight and mobility.

Removing the armor in parts, she placed each segment carefully against the cavern wall to dry off. She'd have wiped them down with a cloth if she had one, but all she had was her sleeping blankets. It was doubtful that the armor would rust anyway, so she didn't worry about it. She also took off her travel pack, located safely between her armor and clothing while she rode Ba'ul, and set it aside for later.

Her clothes were also soaked, but unfortunately she had no wood for a fire, nor was she likely to find any outside in this weather. She stripped to her bottom layer, wringing out all the water she could from each piece of clothing before placing it neatly on the floor of the cavern to air dry overnight; that would have to do. She then returned to the travel pack, pulling out some rations and a small teacup. Making a quick dinner of hard bread, fruit, and rainwater, she returned the cup to her bag, then stepped out into the rain.

_What are you doing?_ Ba'ul inquired.

"There's nothing worse than going to bed without a shower," Judith replied with an exasperated sigh, as though the answer was obvious. Ba'ul simply exhaled a blast of air in response and rolled his massive red eyes.

She briskly rinsed the day's dust and dirt off, then untied her hair and let it fall down to her waist, giving it a thorough rinse. After letting the fresh rainwater wash over her for a few more moments she returned to the cave to shake herself somewhat dry. Ba'ul let out a deep rumble.

"What is it this time?"

_Every time you do that it reminds me of a dog. Which puts me in mind of another comparison that I would be wise not to mention._

"Coming from you I take that as a compliment, you silly beast." She reached down into her pack and pulled out a hair brush. "Now if you aren't going to use it, lend me that tail of yours."

_As you command, milady. _The mental response was so full of mock sincerity Judith couldn't help but laugh as he uncoiled the requested appendage. She quickly pressed up against his warm body as Ba'ul pulled his tail back in around her like a blanket.

Judith took a few minutes to brush her hair out and give her antennae a quick once-over as well. Krityan antennae were essentially long tufts of very fine hairs that grew from two spots just behind the ears. They were capable of detecting very minute changes in the surrounding environment, often serving as a sixth sense of sorts. They also served as an outlet for a Krityan's telepathic powers, called the nageeg. While not essential by any means, it was awkward and disorienting for a Krityan to lose their antennae; it would be like a right-handed person trying to do everything with their left hand.

Antennae also took a very long time to grow back; the longer the hairs of an antennae were, the more effective it was. Most adult Krityan antennae reached somewhere around the knees; Judith was no exception. Should anything happen to them it would take a very long time for that much hair to grow back.

Most Krityans these days simply enjoyed the enhanced mental acuity their antennae provided them - thus why most of her race that spent their time among humans were considered scholars. However, Judith spent most of her time in battle, so she always made sure to keep her antennae in good shape. They frequently gave her an edge during combat, allowing her to keep track of enemies on the battlefield that were outside her field of vision. Combined with the fact that Krityan eyes and ears were also more sensitive than that of the average human, few warriors could match the awareness of a trained Krityan warrior in combat.

However, in the end, it all came down to personal hygiene. Judith was proud of the fact that despite living out of a travel pack for eight years, she always managed to take care of her body and keep herself clean. She hated feeling dirty.

Tossing her brush on top of her pack - she'd put it away in the morning - Judith let out a sigh of contentment. "Good night, Ba'ul," she said as she snuggled against her friend, protected from the chill of the evening by his massive tail. Then she whispered quietly, as she had so very often for the past ten years, "thank you."

_Good night, little one._

_

* * *

_

Judith's eyes snapped open as she panted heavily, her heart beating as though it would burst through her chest.

_Just a dream,_ she told herself,_ it was just a dream._ _But...it felt so real_...she could still feel the heat of the fires on her face, the screaming as people panicked, trying to escape the city as it burned...

She quickly got a grip on her emotions as she felt the reassuring warmth of Ba'ul beside her, his slow, rhythmic breathing helping to calm her own.

_You are awake,_ came Ba'ul's thought. _You did not sleep long. Did you dream?_

"Yes, Ba'ul, I dreamed." Ba'ul always wanted to know about her dreams; they fascinated him, for as he told Judith, Ba'ul did not dream. Sometimes she told him about her dreams to sate his curiosity.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

"They were not nice dreams, so I woke up," was all she said.

Judith listened carefully to the sounds of the night, her pointed ears twitching back and forth a few times. She could no longer hear the sounds of rainfall outside. "When did it stop raining?" she asked her friend.

_No more than two hours after you fell asleep. The storm continues, but it has blown northward. The human town will be shrouded in rain and clouds for many hours yet, but it has left us alone._

"Good, then we can investigate the Hermes blastia you felt tomorrow." What Judith needed now was something to distract herself. She quietly asked Ba'ul, "I'd like to see the stars. Do you mind?"

_Of course not. I myself enjoy seeing the stars. They are very pretty. I am glad that you enjoy seeing them too._ Judith stood as Ba'ul rearranged his body so that the curl of his tail was outside the cavern mouth. The night air was cold against her bare skin so she quickly sat back down and pressed against his warm scales again, hugging her knees to her chest for warmth and comfort.

The night sky was clear following the end of the storm, and thousands of lights twinkled in the heavens above. Over the past ten years Judith had spent most of her nights outside with Ba'ul staring at the same night sky, but no matter how many times she saw it she was always amazed by how many lights there were. Some were constant and familiar, like Brave Vesperia, the brightest star in the sky, a shining beacon to guide lost adventurers. Most of them, however, she could never recognize, having never been much of a stargazer. She could barely remember the few that her father had told her about, back in the days when they would travel the world as he researched new technologies trying to make the world better, before...

Images from her dream thrust back into her thoughts like a slap to the face. The sudden rush of emotion was almost enough to break her composure. She could still picture her father, exactly the same as he'd been on that day ten years ago, the flames of the burning illage outlined against the night sky all around her as she held her father in her arms, his life slowly ebbing away...

_No,_ Judith told herself sternly. _I will not dwell on the past. I've done enough of that to last the rest of my life._ She took a deep breath, then looked up to try and lose herself in the starry sky once again.

Many silent minutes passed as she gazed upward, feeling the soothing warmth of Ba'ul pressed against her back and across her legs. She found her thoughts drifting back to her dream and the past, despite having just berated herself for doing so.

She thought about the blastia she'd destroyed today and what might happen to the people who travelled Ehmead Hill as a result. She'd destroyed it without a second thought, feeling no remorse or pity for anyone who might suffer as a result. The Hermes blastia were a danger to the entire world and had to be destroyed, no matter the inconvenience it caused to the people that depended on them.

Judith could remember a time when she didn't feel that way, when she cared about the people who were hurt by what she was doing. The first had been the hardest, of course; a daughter's gift from her father, a wedding present. She'd had to break into the house and destroy it; as it happened, right in front of the poor girl...

_"Please," the girl begged, her eyes pleading with the sinister figure in front of her that threatened her most prized possession, "that was...that was a gift from my father, please don't..."_

_Judith looked at the girl with sympathy as she held the small rose-coloured blastia in the palm of her hand. She had known that it would be a difficult mission when she'd accepted it, but now that she was here, with one in her hands, she found herself wavering. Did she really have to...?_

_"It's all I have left of him, please..."_

_Judith thought of her own father and the legacy he'd left for her and her resolve hardened. She took one last look at the girl, her pleading eyes filled with tears, then tossed the blastia into the air._

_"And this is all I have left of mine."_

_She swung her spear, swift and true._

Every time after that was easier until eventually it didn't bother her at all. Where before she had nagging doubts at the back of her mind that maybe what she was doing was wrong, there was now only silence. She knew that meant that somewhere along the way she'd lost something important, some part of herself that she would never be able to get back. It was what made her feel sorrow and regret for her actions, and sympathy and compassion for the people whose lives she changed every day. Sometimes it felt like every blastia she destroyed took a piece of her along with it into the darkness beyond the world they lived in, like the darkness in the sky above.

_I've changed,_ Judith thought to herself as she stared into the starry void. _I'm a much different person now than I was when I took on this mission eight years ago. _A thoughtful look crossed her face. _I wonder though, have I changed for better or worse? If destroying blastia is the right thing to do, then when does it make me feel so empty inside?_

She didn't let the emptiness bother her too much. She'd made a vow with Ba'ul to destroy all the Hermes blastia in the world - her spear was a symbol of that vow. As long as she carried it there was no way she could even think of giving up, no matter how she felt. So she just simply stopped caring; she would continue to destroy blastia no matter how many lives she ruined, because that was the hand life had dealt her, whether she liked it or not. Better to have no feelings at all than ones that would get in the way.

_I wonder if that makes me a bad person. _She yawned, unconcerned. _Things would have turned out so much different if Ba'ul hadn't decided to..._

As the thought trailed off, Judith felt the need to ask Ba'ul her question; the one question she had asked him repeatedly for the past ten years, and that he never really answered.

"Ba'ul?"

_Yes? _Came the reply.

"Why did you save me?"

A long silence always followed before Ba'ul finally gave his answer, the same answer he always gave.

_Because I wanted to._

Usually it stopped there, but for some reason Judith felt that tonight she should push harder.

"Is that the only reason?"

Another long pause, followed by a simple, _No._

Judith thought about the meaning of that single word for a few moments. Finally she asked, "will you ever tell me the rest?"

_Someday._

She allowed herself a tiny smile. "I would like that very much." She adjusted herself to a more comfortable position and closed her eyes, content to have gotten a new answer from her companion.

As sleep started to overcome her, Judith sent one last thought to her guardian, not trusting her voice just then.

_I love you, Ba'ul._

Ba'ul waited a moment before replying, _go back to sleep._ She already was.

* * *

A nice, long first chapter, ending with some fuzzy goodness.

Some of the descriptive passages might be sort of dull, but I was writing this story with the intention that people who haven't played Tales of Vesperia can enjoy it as much as those who have. I know it seems kind of silly to do that when I'm posting it in a ToV fanspace, but it was also sort of an exercise for me. Anyway, I promise that future chapters will have less of what you already know, and more of what you don't.

Before anyone asks, I won't be doing the entire game. I've already planned out which parts I'm doing, and believe me, it's plenty of material to work with.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed my other ToV stories, hope you enjoy this one too - it's going to be MUCH longer :).


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this wasn't up sooner I meant to post it on Saturday but got distracted ..

First a scene that should be familiar to you, followed by a little bit of comic relief. Not quite as long as the last part. That's just how it worked out.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

The next day brought sunny skies and warm weather, perfect for flying. Judith greeted the sun with a smile as she got up and stretched.

"Good morning Ba'ul! Are you ready for more blastia hunting?" she asked her friend cheerfully. After a moment she realized that Ba'ul didn't share her good mood. "What's wrong?"

_The storm still hangs over the human town, even though it has dissipated elsewhere. And it still feels wrong. _Ba'ul sounded upset.

"Do you think that maybe the blastia you felt last night is causing it?"

_That is the most likely cause. A normal blastia could not withstand the aer necessary to alter the weather like this. Only a Hermes model could affect that much aer for so long._

"Well then, maybe this will be the first time someone thanks us for destroying a blastia. I'll go gather my things and we'll head out immediately."

She returned to the cave and pulled out a nia fruit from her travel bag, juggling it between her hands and her mouth as she dressed. Many people disliked the taste of the bitter fruit, but she felt it served well to wake her up first thing in the morning. She carried a few around for times like these when she needed an early start.

A few minutes later, Judith emerged from the cave fully clad in her armor, her hair bound back up on top of her head beneath the helmet. She swiftly climbed onto Ba'ul's back and took a firm hold as he pushed off the ground with a single mighty heave, launching into the morning air toward Capua Nor.

* * *

Although the storm clouds dissipated only a few miles from the boundary of the port town, the air was turbulent for a much larger distance than that. It was proving hard for Ba'ul to approach the town with any degree of safety.

_The air does not move like it should,_ Ba'ul explained in Judith's mind._ The currents are shifting unexpectedly. It is very hard to fly through. I could make it to the town myself, but not with you as a passenger. _He let out a frustrated grumble. _I will try and find a calmer spot to approach from._

They continued to fly discreetly around the town until midday, when Judith finally let out an exasperated sigh of defeat.

"If this storm is being made by a blastia I don't think we're going to have any luck flying in. You can let me down somewhere and I'll just walk in and destroy it myself. The storm should dissipate after that and you can come pick me up."

_I do not like the idea of you going in alone,_ Ba'ul grumbled in protest.

"Please Ba'ul, I'm not a child anymore. I'm sure I can handle anything that might be protecting the blastia long enough for you to come save my pretty little behind." She put on her sweetest smile. "C'mon, let me have some fun. Pretty please?"

Ba'ul was silent long enough that Judith was sure she'd won him over. She was about to begin gloating over her victory when he spoke again. _The storm is breaking. _The surprise in his voice was clear.

"I swear it did that just to ruin my fun," Judith pouted.

Ba'ul ignored the remark. _We have to move quickly. The storm may return any moment. Hold on tightly!_

Judith obeyed as Ba'ul picked up speed, heading straight for the largest house in Capua Nor. It was a massive two-story building with beautiful stained glass windows all along the top floor, the largest of which took up the entire eastern face of the structure. Behind the house was a small dock with a nicely sized boat resting against the pier.

"Why would someone decorate their entire house with stained glass windows?" Judith wondered aloud. "Seems like an awful waste of money to me."

_I can feel the aer disturbance quite clearly now,_ Ba'ul notified her._ It is directly on the other side of that large window. _A note of curiosity entered his voice. _There is something else going on in there. It feels like a mage is tossing aer around._

"Right, we'll have to make this quick if we don't want to get mixed up in whatever they're fighting about." Judith hoisted her spear in her left hand and took a firmer grip on Ba'ul with her right. "Whenever you're ready, Ba'ul."

_Then here we go!_ Ba'ul roared as he charged the window.

As the window shattered Judith could immediately see the blastia core to her left. It sat in some sort of device in the middle of the large room, pulsing with a gentle blue glow. Without looking at anything else in the room lest it distract her, Judith lined up her spear with the core and, as Ba'ul sped down the length of the room, slashed as hard as she could across the surface of the blastia.

As Ba'ul reached the other side of the room Judith was able to turn and evaluate her strike. The blastia's glow was pulsing irregularly now, meaning the formula within was breaking down. In a few moments the blastia would be useless forever.

Then Judith spotted three figures as they approached the blastia using a catwalk suspended in the middle of the room by a number of stone pillars.

_Ba'ul, don't let them reach the blastia, they might be able to repair it!_

In response, Ba'ul glided over to the blastia then reared up almost completely vertical. Being used to this particular maneuver, Judith calmly extended her legs along Ba'ul's sides and gripped tightly to his back as he expelled a huge blast of fiery aer. The aer coated the the walkway in front of the blastia, preventing the three humans from reaching it. Judith was just about to compliment Ba'ul on his handiwork when she heard a shrill voice yelling from the floor behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you freak?"

She turned around just in time to see a young girl standing in the corner, waving a piece of cloth around in the air. Judith didn't understand at first, but she quickly recognized the forms the girl was drawing in the air as they began to solidify around her.

_Incoming!_ she yelled mentally to Ba'ul and gripped tightly with her legs as the girl finished her casting. Four fireballs shot out of her formula, sprayed across the width of the room. Judith trusted her fate to Ba'ul as he ducked and wove around them all, and felt the heat as the last one nearly made contact.

Taking her first quick glance around the room, Judith didn't like what she saw. Of the eight people in the room, seven of them were armed and ready for combat. On the catwalk, a female warrior with long hair tied back stood beside two men, one of whom was short and carried a staff while the other had a sword and shield at his side. They looked like a group from the Imperial Knights, though none of them wore the regular armor of the Knights.

The group on the floor looked a lot more...interesting. One was only a young boy wielding a hammer that looked to be much too big for him. There were two girls, the red-haired one who had been shooting the fireballs, and a pink-haired one who seemed confused. There was even a fierce-looking dog, whom Judith noticed was carrying a sword around its neck. Then she blinked and looked at the last member of the group, closest to the stairs leading onto the catwalk.

He was decently tall, dressed in sharp black pants and slightly parted black shirt, revealing the well-muscled chest beneath. Long black hair fell past his shoulders and halfway down his back, framing a face that, had she more time to think about it, she may have called beautiful. And as that face turned to look at her, she got a clear view of his face and, more importantly, his eyes.

She could feel an immense strength of character behind that gaze, so much that she gasped in surprise. There was also a kindness to them, one which Judith didn't see in humans very often. It was most certainly never directed at her - it had been a long time since anyone had shown her such kindness as she felt this man was capable of.

Looking deeper still, Judith found traces of worry and doubt, not reflected in his movements; those had a grace and confidence in them that she associated with someone familiar with combat. Did this lingering doubt have something to do with what had been taking place in the room before she had arrived? Judith could see the turmoil in his eyes as he fought his own inner conflict, carefully hiding it behind a mask of certainty and confidence.

Judith was snapped out of her reverie as the man broke eye contact, turning that intense gaze upon the eighth man in the room, who was crawling along the floor towards a door like a coward. Giving herself a mental shake, Judith spoke to Ba'ul.

_I think it's time we made our exit, _she said quickly, being careful to keep her other thoughts to herself.

Without voicing a reply, Ba'ul flew for the window they'd smashed to enter the room, obviously agreeing that they'd overstayed their welcome. As they flew across the room, the girl's voice screeched up from the floor again.

"You're not getting away from me, you dragon-freak!"

Judith spared a glance to see the short red-haired girl launch another fireball towards their escape route. She braced for impact, but luckily the hasty casting had thrown the girl's aim off. The fireball impacted harmlessly on the windowsill as Ba'ul escaped through the shattered frame above. As they flew free of the confines of the house and into the afternoon air, Judith allowed herself to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

_Don't relax yet,_ Ba'ul warned.

"What's wrong now?" Judith asked as she tried to recover her composure.

_We destroyed one blastia, but there is still a strong aer disturbance in that room._

"Maybe you're feeling the mage?" Judith asked skeptically; those fireballs hadn't been big enough to cause the sorts of aer disturbances Ba'ul was usually worried about.

_No. It is more likely that there is another blastia in that room. It was causing even more of an aer imbalance than the blastia you broke._

Disturbed by this news, Judith tried to recall the layout of the room. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always returned to that man's eyes; those dark, beautiful eyes that revealed so much to anyone who cared to look for it...

Looking back over her shoulder at the shrinking image of the manor house behind her, Judith sighed. "Since we're still heading away from the town, I'm assuming you think that means we'll have to wait until things calm down over there before going back."

_Yes._

"I guess you're right. Whatever was going on in that room, that was far from an ordinary group of people. I guess we'll just have to wait and come back later to take care of the rest."

_I would suggest we make ourselves scarce until tomorrow,_ came Ba'ul's reply. _They seem like the type to want revenge for us destroying a blastia. Also,_ and Ba'ul voice almost became a whine, _I am feeling very hungry._

"You just don't want to have to dodge that girl's fireballs again," Judith said with a smirk. "I think she liked you. And didn't you just eat yesterday? If you aren't careful you'll start getting fat."

_Dodging fireballs makes me hungry. It is hard work._

She couldn't help but laugh as Ba'ul continued to look for pity. "All right then, until tomorrow. But there's no reason I can't stay in a nice warm bed in Capua Nor tonight." She shuddered in delight at the thought of sleeping in a real bed for the first time in weeks.

So the two friends headed away from Capua Nor to look for a suitable place to land, oblivious to the events taking place on the sea behind them.

* * *

A few hours later saw Judith walking into Capua Nor on foot while Ba'ul hunted for his dinner; she'd watched Ba'ul dine before and knew from experience that if she wanted to be able to eat anything for the rest of the week, she'd better not stick around to watch.

She left her travel pack, armor, and weapons - with the exception of the small knife sheathe that always hung from her left hip - with Ba'ul, coming into town wearing her usual attire of blue and white clothing that revealed far more skin than most women would feel was decent. Judith was not most women. In her opinion, if showing a little skin would save her a few Gald she should use it to her advantage; flying around the world destroying blastia wasn't exactly a well-paying job.

_Of course, there are a few other perks as well..._ a grin forced itself onto her face. _Those who can, should._

Judith headed into town, looking for an entertaining (and hopefully not too expensive) way to waste away the rest of the day.

* * *

It was several hours after the sun had gone down and the moon had risen high in the night sky when Ba'ul, dozing leisurely on top of a rock in the forest surrounding Capua Nor, heard Judith's voice in his mind.

_Ba'ul, where are you?_ He could feel that she was tired and out of breath. She had recently been running.

_One moment._ Ba'ul pushed himself off the rock with one great heave, flying a short distance straight up above the trees. _Can you see me now?_

_Yes, thank you._

_Are you hurt?_ Ba'ul asked as he descended back to the forest floor, worried about why she would be running through the woods at night.

_I'm fine, I'm not too far from you. I'll be there shortly._ Curiosity plagued Ba'ul's mind, but he decided to wait until she arrived before he started asking questions.

It was only a moment before he could hear Judith approaching, making enough noise to wake every monster in the forest for miles around. She was also transmitting a lot of very intense feelings through her telepathic bond, something she normally had good control over. As she stumbled into view shortly afterward it became obvious that she didn't realize she was doing it, so Ba'ul politely pretended he couldn't feel them. As Judith cautiously shuffled her way through the woods, leaning on trees for support as she lurched toward her pack on the ground, the reason for her disorientation became obvious.

_What happened to spending the night in a warm, comfortable bed?_ he asked; the young woman's face was flushed bright red.

"There were...complications," Judith replied shakily as she reached into her pack and pulled out two blankets. She tried to lay one out on the ground, but she lost her balance and fell face-first into the ground, the impact barely cushioned by the unrolled blanket. She didn't seem to notice.

_Would it have anything to do with the fact that you are completely and utterly-_

"Shut up, Ba'ul," came the grumbled reply from the heap of blanket and Krityan. Judith groaned as she rolled onto her back and covered herself with the other blanket.

_If you would just learn to control yourself when you have fun you would not find yourself-_

_"Shut up, Ba'ul."_

_

* * *

_

Judith woke up and immediately wished she hadn't. Her head weighed a hundred pounds and throbbed like it was about to explode. Opening her eyes resulted in an explosion of color spreading across her vision, accompanied by the most marvelous of headaches.

_Ba'ul? _She reached out carefully, not sure where her friend was at the moment.

_Yes? _came the reply.

_I think I did something stupid last night, _she admitted sheepishly.

_I think so too. You did not want to talk about it at the time. What happened to sleeping in a bed?_

There was a brief silence while Judith attempted to recall what exactly had happened the previous night. _Well, I guess I technically did, for a little bit._

Ba'ul was afraid to ask for details, but he did anyway.

_Well I was in a bed for a while, but...well, we weren't exactly sleeping. I had planned to sleep in it afterward, but then this other woman showed up and started getting really angry; I don't really remember it very well, I was very tired. And slightly drunk. So I told her to go away, but that just made her yell louder. Eventually some guards showed up to see what all the noise was. For some reason I thought jumping out the window to get away was a good idea. Unfortunately I accidentally landed on one of them. They weren't too happy about that, so they chased me around for a while until I lost them in the woods._

Ba'ul waited a few moments after the story was over to point out, _that doesn't explain why you were almost too drunk to walk in the first place._

Judith grinned. _There was some fun before that too, _she thought without a hint of embarrassment.

She felt the rush of air as Ba'ul landed on the ground to her left. She opened her eyes to a squint and looked at her friend as he regarded her with his two big yellow orbs. While most people simply saw Ba'ul as a monster who had no discernible outward expression, Judith had learned how to read him like a book over the ten years they had been together. His expression was full of scorn and reproach, but he was unable to keep a slight bit of mirth from slipping into the mix.

_I'm thirsty,_ she thought to him, licking her dry lips and trying to work moisture into her mouth. _Are we near any water?_

_There is a small stream a short distance to the west, _came the reply. _Do you think you can stay on top of me long enough to get that far?_

_As long as I don't have to look at where we're going I'll be fine._

Judith slowly pushed herself to her feet, still squinting. She carefully stumbled toward Ba'ul, holding her hands out for balance and to catch herself in case she fell.

_Are you going to bring breakfast?_ Ba'ul asked, giving a mental nudge toward her travel pack.

Just the thought of food made her stomach turn. _No, I think I'll have to save that for later. Right now I just really need some water._ She lost her balance and fell forward several steps, stumbling into Ba'ul's scaly hide with a thump. _And for the world to stop spinning._

_

* * *

_

Several hours later Judith was feeling much better as she and Ba'ul approached Capua Nor once again, looking to finish the job they'd started the day before. As they approached the town, however, Ba'ul had some interesting news.

_The disturbance I felt in the room of that house is no longer there, _he informed his rider.

"Well, that's fortunate for us," Judith remarked. "I wasn't looking forward to getting back in that cramped little room anyway." She shrugged. "I guess we'll continue heading north then."

_Seems like as good a direction as any,_ Ba'ul agreed.

Judith sighed contentedly. "I love flying over the ocean. The air's so clear and the sky so bright...fly slower so I can take the time to enjoy it."

He couldn't resist. _I think you had enough enjoyment last night to last the rest of the month._

"Shut up, Ba'ul."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You said there's a Hermes blastia down there?" Judith asked skeptically as they approached their destination, ignoring the rain as it pelted against her armor. "It doesn't even look like there's much of a town left, let alone a functioning blastia."

_There is a very strong aer imbalance originating from inside those ruins, _Ba'ul replied firmly._ It is very powerful._

"Well, if you say so, Ba'ul," Judith conceded. "You've never been wrong about these things."

_There is also something else,_ Ba'ul continued, sounding puzzled._ I am not sure what is is, but it is also very strong. _

"Well, if it's not a blastia, let's not worry about it for now," Judith reassured her friend. "We can always take a look around afterward." Ba'ul grunted in agreement and the pair began their descent to the ruined town of Caer Bocram.

Built into a cliff face, Caer Bocram had been a lively town until some twenty years or so ago when an earthquake hit the town and destroyed most of the buildings, along with the town's barrier blastia. Monsters had quickly moved into the ruins, preventing anyone from rebuilding the devastated city. Instead, the Empire had decided to just build a new city farther out from the mountainside where the threat of earthquakes would be lower. Called Heliord, the Rising City, it had only just recently begun to rival Caer Bocram at its height.

That was the story that got passed around within the Empire, anyway. Whether it was true or not was anyone's guess. It didn't matter to Judith, all she cared about was that there was still an active Hermes blastia down there that needed to be shut down; preferably before she got completely soaked and caught a cold.

As Ba'ul got closer he was able to pinpoint the building at the center of the aer disturbance. It was a large square structure that was still mostly intact, which was more than could be said for most of the other buildings in the ruined city. Mud and rock covered many of the paths that weren't already blocked by crumbling stone walls and stairs, while many others had been overgrown by a variety of plant life.

As they flew over their target Judith saw a welcome sight; the roof of the building had a large hole in it that went down at least four floors. It looked like someone had dropped a giant boulder on the structure from above that smashed a hole through every floor.

"I think that hole is big enough for you to fly through, don't you?" Judith asked her friend, who snorted in agreement.

A deep rumble emanated from the ground below, accompanied by the trembling of the dilapidated buildings. It continued for several seconds before coming to an abrupt halt.

"What was that?" Judith exclaimed. Ba'ul was silent a moment, then responded.

_I have discovered the other thing I felt in this ruin. Gusios is with the blastia._

"Gusios! What is he doing here?" A ruined human settlement was the last place she expected to encounter an Entelexeia.

The ground continued to shake as Ba'ul spoke, pieces of broken buildings falling everywhere. _He says he is trapped by a reverse barrier blastia. There are humans attempting to harm him. He asks for our help._

"Then let's not keep him waiting!" Judith hefted her spear as Ba'ul let out an intimidating roar. Wasting no time, the massive beast flew over the top of the building holding Gusios and then flew in a three-quarter loop, leaving him pointed directly at the hole in the roof.

Judith had a clear view of the blastia as Ba'ul raced toward the ground. It was a massive silver ball the size of her entire body and pulsed with a soft white light, similar to the blastia in the weather machine at Capua Nor. The blastia core itself was wrapped in a serpentine metal body. Hovering directly above the blastia were the familiar white circles of a barrier. They looked slightly different than usual, but Judith couldn't put her finger on exactly why; probably because it was a reverse barrier...whatever that meant.

Taking careful aim at the blastia, Judith struck with as much force as she could muster as Ba'ul flew past it. The downward momentum combined with the force of her blow resulted in a sickening crunch as the blastia cracked down the middle. It had stopped working before Ba'ul even had time to pull himself to a stop near the edge of the semicircular chamber, right next to a stone walkway which circled the room.

Two groups of humans stood on opposite sides of the walkway. There were three in the group right in front of where Ba'ul had stopped, two males and one female. All three looked like they were no strangers to battle as they held their weapons with confidence. One man wore a black coat and had a massive sword the size of him, the other wore a slim yellow jacket and held small blades in both hands. The woman had some sort of boomerang slung across her back; Judith had never seen one of those before.

On the opposite side of the room, Judith was startled for the third time that evening as she recognized the same group of adventurers she'd seen in the manor at Capua Nor. The five of them were all hunched over as though they were about to pass out. It was then that she noticed the aer swirling around their feet, so thick it was visible; aer that dense would be enough to weaken even the strongest fighter. She knew it was likely a result of the aer imbalance caused by the Hermes blastia; her suspicions were confirmed as it began to dissipate before her eyes now that the blastia had stopped functioning.

Faint white lines below her revealed where another barrier had been formed as they disappeared as well, freeing the occupant below. The bottom of the room was a pit at least twenty feet deep and fifty feet across, in the middle of which sat Gusios. Massive even by Entelexeian standards, Gusios let out an intimidating roar as he stretched his cramped muscles; he must have been trapped in this chamber for quite some time. His two short back legs looked a bit comical compared to his two massive forearms, which he used to balance himself like a gorilla. His entire body gleamed a bluish-grey, light from the fading blastia reflecting off his thickly scaled skin, giving him the appearance of being covered in millions of tiny gemstones. A very thin and incredibly long tail extended from between his legs and thrashed about, indicating that he was ready for a fight with anything that got within his reach.

"You!" Judith's attention was brought forward as the man with the gigantic sword shouted at her. "I'd thought to only hunt one monster tonight, but the more the better!" Then he attacked Ba'ul with a vicious downward slash, which her companion easily batted aside. The man continued his attack, slashing with his massive sword far faster than Judith would have thought any man would have been capable of.

Not wanting to be a distraction in such a deadly game of speed and power, Judith simply watched as her friend parried every blow, though not without some difficulty. Ba'ul finally managed to disengage himself from the man and pulled back, followed quickly by a fireball launched from his mouth. The massive man blocked the blast with his sword, the aer dissipating around him.

"A good fight!" the man exclaimed, grinning in pleasure. "Now THIS is a bounty worthy of the Hunting Blades!"

_A monster hunting guild? So they think Gusios and Ba'ul are monsters, do they?_ Judith had no more time to think as she saw the woman wind up and throw her gigantic boomerang. _Watch out, Ba'ul!_ She warned her partner.

Seeing the danger coming, Ba'ul easily rolled to the side, watching the strange bladed weapon slice through the space he'd just vacated. Judith watched in amazement as the weapon continued across the room for a short distance, then turned in the air and came toward them again.

_Ba'ul, behind!_

Without turning to see the weapon, Ba'ul began rolling sideways through the air again. Judith gripped tightly with her legs to keep from falling off as she watched the boomerang follow them around the room. Ba'ul could only dodge it for so long before it would finally catch him.

In the pit below, Gusios let out a defiant roar as he slammed his massive forearms into the ground and threw his bulk against the sides of his former prison. The walls and floors of the chamber began to tremble and fall apart as the enraged Entelexeia threw his weight around. After Ba'ul's sudden attack, Judith had completely forgotten about Gusios.

Unfortunately for the second group of adventurers, Gusios' enraged assault on the building foundations caused the floor they were standing on to crumble away, throwing the entire group down into the pit. Seeing an enemy finally within his reach, Gusios moved toward the closest of the group - the man dressed in black. Judith remembered the man's eyes clearly, remembered seeing the kindness in them. Surely that man and his companions had another reason to be here other than hunting down Gusios.

_They are not enemies!_ Judith sent the mental message to Gusios. _Escape now!_

The only response Gusios gave was to let out another cacophonous scream of defiance and continue to throw himself against the walls of the room.

It was then that Judith noticed the boomerang weapon had returned to its owner, who was trying to keep her footing on the quickly deteriorating chamber floor. She could see the man with the massive sword also struggling to keep his footing, but the man with the daggers had disappeared. _Where did he..._

"I've got you now!" A voice screamed from above. Judith looked up just in time to see the second man come flying at her through the air. She barely managed to raise her spear and deflect his initial two blows before they took her head from her shoulders.

"How did you..." Judith said as she wrestled with the man on Ba'ul's back. While falling from this height wouldn't really hurt too badly, it would make escaping a lot more difficult. She was determined to stay on Ba'ul's back, but it was proving difficult; despite being thin and wiry, the man who'd attacked her was much stronger than he looked.

"You think you're the _only_ one who can fight in the air?" the man taunted, ending with a cackling laugh. "Think again, woman! I'll never lose to a monster lover!"

"Ba'ul is not a monster!" Judith yelled angrily. "He's my friend!" She pushed the man's two weapons away and tried to skewer him on the tip of her spear, but he deflected her thrusts.

"What kind of person is friends with a monster?!" the man countered. Judith leaned backward as the man thrust a dagger toward her head, lying horizontally along Ba'ul's back. She watched as the weapon passed only inches above her face, then swatted it to the side and sat back up in time to deflect the second dagger from her stomach. "I don't have to listen to you, monster-lover!"

_Hold on,_ came the sudden mental warning from Ba'ul. Judith gripped tightly to him with her legs as he rolled through the air a moment later, narrowly dodging the boomerang weapon again. At the bottom of the roll Judith caught a glimpse of the chamber floor and saw Gusios fighting with the other group of warriors, then she was back upright again.

Unfortunately her attacker had managed to hang on as well. "You won't get rid of me that easily!" he taunted, shaking his daggers at her.

_Ba'ul, next time that boomerang goes by, drop down!_ Judith yelled mentally to her friend as she fended off another rush of quick thrusts from the deadly blades.

_Here it comes,_ Ba'ul warned a moment later.

Judith released her grip on Ba'ul with her legs, using them to kick the man attacking her in the chest. She used the momentum to roll backward, then pushed off Ba'ul's scaled hide with her hands, launching herself a few feet into the air. At the same time, Ba'ul dropped toward the ground to dodge the approaching boomerang. The weapon passed harmlessly through empty air between the two partners as Ba'ul rolled downward, righting himself again ten feet below where he'd started.

Judith's opponent had barely managed to hold on to one of Ba'ul's neck ridges and was pulling himself back up as Judith landed neatly on her feet on the great beast's back. Before the man could recover his balance Judith neatly stepped forward and thrust the butt of her spear into his chest, pushing him backward between Ba'ul's head spikes. Completely off balance, the man flew helplessly into the open air and plummeted towards the ground. Judith quickly sat back down on Ba'ul's back and held on tightly as the boomerang weapon made another pass.

Judith watched in amazement as the man she'd just pushed off Ba'ul successfully regained his balance in midair, landing neatly on the ledge where he'd started from. He looked like he was about to turn and jump for another assault when Ba'ul moved straight up, rising over the returning boomerang. The man was forced to abandon his assault as the boomerang passed underneath it's intended target and threatened to cut him in half.

"Hey, watch where you're throwing that thing!" Judith heard him yell.

Judith spared another glance below and saw Gusios still in a heated battle with the group from Capua Nor. They had spread out around the edges of the pit in order to better avoid Gusios' strong-armed assaults, a tactic that was being met with varying degrees of success. However, Judith noted that the entire group was not making any serious attempts to harm Gusios, merely trying to keep him at bay.

Gusios was just raising his arms in the air and preparing to charge the man dressed in black when Judith sent a thought message to the massive Entelexeia.

_They mean you no harm! Leave them be and escape!_

His fists raised high in the air, Gusios paused his assault to look up at Judith. She nodded to him slightly and he lowered his mighty arms back to the ground, then headed for the door. Before he left, however, Judith could have sworn that he looked at the pink-haired girl very intently, as if he was looking for something; something he hadn't expected to see. His massive frame quickly disappeared through the huge door that lead out of the pit.

Suddenly the destroyed barrier blastia fell from it's resting place in the ceiling, hitting the ground below with a crash. With the barrier over the rooftop completely gone, raindrops began pouring in through the collapsed ceiling, landing on the floor of the pit below.

_Ba'ul, it's time to go,_ Judith said to her friend as she glanced around the room. _I don't think they're all enemies, but I'd rather not find out which ones are which._

With one last mighty roar, Ba'ul headed for the gap in the roof they'd used to enter the chamber.

"I don't think so!" the yellow-coated man's voice came from below. Judith looked to the side in time to see the man trying one more time to reach her and Ba'ul. With inhuman speed he ran up the side of the chamber, then pushed off towards them.

_Ba'ul, show him what it's really like to fly._

As the man approached Ba'ul, her partner simply spun around and slapped him away with one of his massive fins, sending the man flying back toward the ground. The last thing Judith saw of him was him flipping around and landing safely on his feet before she and Ba'ul left the room, soaring into the rainy evening sky.

_Gusios waits for us beyond the forest, _Ba'ul said as they emerged into the rainy evening air. _We should speak with him._

"Yes, let's go," Judith agreed. She had some questions she wanted to ask the great Entelexeia.

* * *

Ba'ul flew her to the cliffs east of Caer Bocram that overlooked the ocean. Standing at full height on the edge was Gusios, looking directly at Judith and Ba'ul as they flew into view. Ba'ul touched down a few feet from imposing figure and allowed Judith to dismount. She approached the great Entelexeia and removed her helmet before giving a respectful bow.

"Hello Gusios," Judith said. "It's been quite a while since we last met."

_Yes, it has been several years since I last saw you and young Ba'ul,_ came Gusios' mental reply. Despite being one of the older Entelexeia, Gusios was unable to speak directly to any human's mind - he could only speak with Judith using her Krityan nageeg.

"What happened to you? Who made that barrier?"

_I felt the aer disturbance caused by the blastia and came to investigate. Somehow the device was still active after so many years. When I entered that building it would seem I accidentally activated the reverse barrier and trapped myself in that pit. I had been stuck there for several months. It is most fortunate you came when you did._

"Ba'ul sensed the blastia in the ruins, we were on our way to destroy it."

_I see. Then this means you still continue on your quest to rid the world of Hermes' legacy?_ Gusios asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Yes," Judith responded with conviction. "When I accepted this duty I vowed to see it through to the end, and I have no intention of breaking that vow." Her hand tightened its grip on her spear.

Gusios sighed, a deep rumbling that sounded like the earth moving. _If only all humans were as willing to accept responsibility as you, there would not be a need for you to bear such a terrible burden._ He folded one of his two massive arms under himself, which Judith recognized as his equivalent of kneeling. _I thank you once again for releasing me, but I must be on my way. Long have I been removed from the world, and there is much work to be done._

"Take care of yourself, Gusios," Judith responded, bowing again. "I may not be around to rescue you again."

The earth rumbled again as the massive Entelexeia chuckled, then turned toward the cliffside and prepared to jump. But before he did, he turned half way back around again.

_One final thing,_ he said. _That girl with the pink hair...she is special. You should speak to Phaeroh about her._

The concern in his tone was not lost on Judith. "I will," she assured him. "Farewell."

Gusios gave a nod of his massive head and then with a mighty heave leapt from the cliff's edge, landing in the water far below with a colossal splash.

"Will he be all right, just jumping off the cliff like that?" Judith asked Ba'ul.

_Entelexeia are of the earth,_ her friend replied, as though the answer should be obvious. _It would not harm him._

"I see. I guess when you're as big and powerful as Gusios you don't really need to worry about monsters, either." She put her helmet back on and mounted Ba'ul again, motioning for him to take off. "So, where shall we go next?"

_We could reach Heliord by tomorrow evening. I will take you there if you promise not to get into trouble this time._

Judith chuckled, but said nothing.

* * *

Right, sorry for that one taking so long. Been somewhat busy around here lately.

Hope you enjoyed this one. Tune in next time for the dramatic events at Heliord!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was during the next afternoon while Ba'ul flew leisurely over the treetops that covered most of the Tolbyccian continent when he suddenly let loose a mighty roar, scaring birds from their roosts in the branches below.

"What's wrong, Ba'ul?" Judith asked with a mix of surprise and worry.

_There is a massive imbalance of aer coming from the direction of Heliord. Just the fact that I can sense it from here means it is something extraordinary._

"Can you tell what's happening?"

He paused a moment before replying. _Something is wrong with the barrier blastia. If the flow of aer continues as it is, the blastia might explode. Many people will be injured or killed._

"That's horrible. I wonder what might be causing it?"

_I cannot tell. We should investigate. There might be something besides Hermes blastia causing aer disturbances. Allowing events like this to occur without knowing the cause would be even more disastrous than- _he abruptly cut off.

"Ba'ul?" Judith inquired after a moment.

_It stopped._

"What?" She exclaimed, confused. "Just like that?"

_Yes. They must have fixed the barrier blastia. _There was another pause as Ba'ul considered their options. _We should still investigate,_ he finally decided.

"Yes, I'm even more curious now than when it was about to explode," Judith agreed. "Fly quickly, Ba'ul. Something strange is going on, and I want to know what and why."

* * *

Despite increasing his speed, Ba'ul and Judith arrived at Heliord just after nightfall, precisely when they'd planned to anyway, due to a fierce storm that was battering the city. Recalling the events at Capua Nor, Judith inquired about the source of the storm. Ba'ul replied that it wasn't a blastia, merely the natural effect of the aer sorting itself out after the day's events.

"Well, what are you feeling now? Is the barrier blastia all right?"

_The barrier is functioning normally. It is not a Hermes model, so we can leave it alone. However..._he thought for a moment. _There is a very strong aer disturbance coming from that large building there._ He sent Judith a mental nudge toward the building Judith recognized as the inn. _It is the same as the blastia from the manor in Capua Nor. It is consuming large amounts of aer. It may have caused the blastia to malfunction._

"So one of those people in the room back then was carrying it," Judith thought out loud. "No wonder I didn't see it. Well, let's go take care of that right now before they escape again."

_The room containing the blastia has a balcony. We should be able to enter from there. Now hold on tightly. The air currents are in turmoil from the storm. It is going to be an uncomfortable ride._

Judith readied herself as Ba'ul headed toward the balcony of the second-floor suite of the inn, rain pelting off her helmet as they sped downward.

Although he was approaching at high speed, Ba'ul expertly cut his momentum and came to a halt right beside the balcony, then let out an intimidating roar.

_Where is it, Ba'ul?_ Judith asked her partner, her spear ready as she searched the room for signs of the blastia.

She immediately recognized the three people inside - they were all members of the group she'd seen at Capua Nor, and more recently at Caer Bocram. Why did these people always seem to appear wherever she went?

One of the three humans in the room was the pink-haired girl, sitting on a chair by the bedside of the short red-haired girl, who was propped up on the pillows. She didn't appear to be injured, but the pink-haired one moved closer to her protectively as Ba'ul announced his presence. The third person in the room was the man dressed in black, standing between the two women and the balcony

_It's right there!_ Ba'ul said, mentally nudging Judith towards the pink-haired girl, preparing to unleash a blast of fiery aer into the room.

_Wait, you don't mean... that girl is the blastia?_ Judith was confused for a moment before she realized what her friend planned to do.

_Ba'ul NO!_ She yanked upward on his horns in a futile attempt to pull him away from his target, but Ba'ul was much stronger than her and didn't budge.

With another mighty roar, Ba'ul launched a fireball from his mouth toward the girl beside the bed. Judith watched as she threw herself over the body of the unconscious girl to protect her while the man in black stepped into the path of the attack, holding his scabbard up in front of him. Judith could see the bohdi blastia on his wrist and immediately saw what he was doing.

The fireball collided with the man's blastia, instantly breaking apart and dissipating into the air. Most of the residual sparks fluttered harmlessly downward, gone before they reached the floor. Blocking an attack like that took an impressive amount of skill and more than a little courage. However, Judith didn't have time to appreciate the boldness of the man's defense, only be grateful that he'd done it.

_Ba'ul, we're leaving! _she shouted mentally to the beast before the three in the room could recover.

_But the aer is still-_

_NOW!_ She grabbed onto his horns and twisted his head sideways as hard as she could. _GO!_

Ba'ul grudgingly obeyed, turning around and flying across the treetops, away from the city. Judith could hear voices coming from the balcony behind her, but she was too upset to understand anything they said.

* * *

The mood was tense between the pair as they rode silently away from Heliord, then landed in a nearby clearing. Judith quickly dismounted and pulled her helmet off, throwing it angrily into a nearby tree.

"By the Goddess, Ba'ul, what did you think you were doing?" she said as she rounded on her companion. She was as close to yelling at him as she had ever been in her life. "You can't just go around roasting people!"

_That girl was consuming large amounts of aer. It is likely she was the cause of what happened to the barrier blastia earlier today. She is a bigger danger to the world than all of the blastia we have destroyed combined._

"You don't know that!" Judith exclaimed. Her voice reeked of anger and frustration as she paced around the clearing. "We don't know what that girl is, or what was going on, or anything! We can't just fly in there and kill her because we think she has to die!"

_But our mission is to-_

"Our mission is to destroy blastia, not kill people!"

_If she is allowed to keep consuming such large quantities of aer, many people will be-_

Judith spun around and glared directly into Ba'ul's two huge, yellow eyes, her face flushed bright red as she struggled with barely-withheld rage - a rare thing for the usually well-composed Krityan.

_"I am not a murderer!"_ she nearly screamed.

There was a long silence between the two as Judith stared at Ba'ul, conviction, determination, and anger taking turns racing through her eyes. Finally, Ba'ul broke the silence.

_We should contact Phaeroh._

Judith stared at her companion for a moment longer before breaking eye contact and taking a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm herself down. "You're right. Gusios said as much." Her voice trembled with pent-up emotion as she stalked off into the woods. Using her nageeg to contact Phaeroh on the other side of the world would take a lot of concentration, if it worked at all - she needed to be alone. "I'll be back," she said without turning around, nor did she wait for a reply.

However, as soon as Ba'ul was out of sight she collapsed to the ground and almost burst into tears for the first time since her father's death. _I shouldn't have done that_, she scolded herself, _I shouldn't have been so mean to Ba'ul._ _It's not his fault, he was only trying to do what would be best for everyone._ She sat there for a few more moments, berating herself for treating her best and only friend so badly.

_And if Ba'ul is right, if that girl is so dangerous that she could ruin the world's aer balance all on her own, then I'll have to...I'll have to..._she shook her head, halting that line of thought. _No, I'll see what Phaeroh knows about her before I make any sort of decision._

Judith shakily got to her feet and gave herself a shake to clear her head. Phaeroh was likely far to the south, in the desert he called home. She needed to concentrate hard in order to send him a message.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with her mind, sending out a message only Phaeroh would be able to hear. _Phaeroh, this is Judith and Ba'ul. We have found a strange girl. She consumes aer like a blastia, but at a much, much greater rate than any blastia we've ever seen. We don't know what to do. Gusios said to contact you. Please, help us. Tell us what you know of her._

She repeated the message several times in slightly different directions before sinking to her knees, exhausted. Using her mental powers at such strength was very tiring, and though she and Ba'ul hadn't physically done much that day, she felt like she'd just run a marathon. She let herself rest briefly before she got up and headed back to the clearing, and Ba'ul. Before she got there, however, Phaeroh's reply echoed in her mind. It was very faint and came in bursts; he was likely also having trouble transmitting his thoughts over the vast distance between them.

_I hear. Stay away from the girl. I am coming. Remain where you are. I will explain. Stay away from the girl._ Then it was over.

_So Phaeroh knows about her,_ Judith thought to herself, _and he's worried enough that's coming here himself. _She spared a moment to consider what that could mean. _Maybe she really is as dangerous as Ba'ul said she was after all..._that just made her feel even worse about how she'd treated her friend in the clearing. She steeled herself for an apology as she headed back to Ba'ul.

As she entered the clearing Judith couldn't bring herself to look directly at her friend, instead staring at the ground in front of her feet. She knew he was watching her as she approached but neither of them spoke a word until she stood in front of Ba'ul's face. Only then did she manage to find her voice, her gaze still intent on the ground in front of her.

"I'm sorry Ba'ul, I shouldn't have-"

_No,_ _I am the one who is sorry. _Ba'ul interrupted her almost immediately.

"But I got upset with you when you were only trying to do what you thought-"

_I almost killed someone today just because I thought they had to die, _her companion interrupted again in a more serious tone than Judith had ever heard from him before now._ That is murder. That is wrong. You stopped me. You stopped me because you are a kind person. There is kindness in your heart. And love. Love for me, for this world, and for everyone who calls it their home. That is why I saved you ten years ago. That is why today you saved me. Thank you, Judith._

Judith was speechless. She simply stared into Ba'ul's eyes in shock while he stared back, his eyes and face expressionless, as she tried to absorb what had just been said.

All this time she had wondered and asked Ba'ul why he'd saved her from the war. He had always avoided answering the question at every opportunity, only to blurt it out at her just now as if the answer should have always been obvious.

_Kindness? Love? In my...heart...?_ She felt confused. Questions raced through her mind as she tried to understand what Ba'ul's words meant._ Is that why I feel so empty?_ She asked herself, remembering that cold feeling she always felt after destroying a blastia. _Have I lost the kindness and love that Ba'ul saw inside me when he found me, so many years ago? _

Judith remained silent as she searched the depths of her soul, looking for the feelings that Ba'ul saw in her that she hadn't even realized she'd lost. _Why did I want to save that girl? Was it just because I didn't want to have her death on my conscience? Or was it...because I wanted to protect her? Or Ba'ul? Was it out of...kindness? Is that what Ba'ul sees in me?_

_But if there really is kindness in my heart, then...why do I still feel so empty inside?_

"Ba'ul, I..." she finally stammered out, but didn't know where to go from there.

_Did you contact Phaeroh?_ Ba'ul asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, yes I did," Judith said, trying to regain her composure for the second time that evening. "He was very far away but I managed to reach him."

_What did he say?_

"He said to stay here, he's on his way. He knows something about the girl, but he didn't have time to tell me what. He also said...he said to stay away from her. Maybe she really is dangerous."

_Maybe. We will wait until Phaeroh gets here to make a decision._

"Yes, we will." She thought for a moment, looking at the ground. "Ba'ul, if in the end we do have to kill that girl, then-"

_I know,_ Ba'ul cut her off. _I believe you. I hope it does not come to that._

"Me too, Ba'ul," Judith nodded, then looked up at the sky, bright orange and red with the light of the setting sun. "Me too."

* * *

Author's Note

So sorry this one took so long to get up. I was doing my final passover of it and realized that Judith began acting very un-Judith-like, so I went and fixed it, but it took some time. I hope to not have such a long delay between the remaining parts, but school's ramping up so unfortunately I can't promise anything. I feel especially bad because this chapter is also the shortest of them all, though it was one of the harder ones to write. I'm especially proud of some of the dialogue in here, it was rewritten several times before I got something I was happy with.

Tune in next time for the longest chapter so far, with a slightly different view of the events at Dahngrest than what you saw in the game. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/favorite'd this, it's always encouraging to know people like my work :). Ciao!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Judith woke with the rising sun and was quickly up and about, stretching out the cramps in her muscles from yet another night spent sleeping on the ground. She'd slept fitfully, her thoughts filled with the events of the previous night. Upon waking she firmly decided that she wouldn't let those thoughts trouble her anymore. She took a deep breath of the fresh country air and marveled at the beautifully clear skies above, happy to be alive for such a wonderful day.

"Good morning Ba'ul!" She turned and cheerfully greeted her friend, who had spent the night lying a short distance away.

_Good morning Judith,_ came the good-natured reply._ Are you feeling better this morning?_

"Yes, I think I was just tired," Judith responded with a smile that she didn't completely feel.

_I trust that Ba'ul sees what he sees,_ she thought to herself. _I'll just do my best to keep being Judith and not worry about the rest._ Then she pushed the matter from he mind, still determined not to let it affect her mood.

"So Ba'ul, where to now? Got any fuzzy blastia feelings for us to go on?" Judith continued to smile goofily.

_No. We should probably wait for Phaeroh to arrive. That could take several days. We could wait near Dahngrest._

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Ba'ul!" Her voice reeked of enthusiasm. "Dahngrest is such a fun place. We haven't been there in so long, that would be a great way to waste a few days while we wait." Phaeroh lived in the desert on the continent far to the south, easily a trip of at least three days even for an Entelexeia as powerful as Phaeroh. Judith hummed to herself as she quickly gathered her things, donned her armor, then leapt onto Ba'ul's back. "Let's go, up and at'em, you big lump!" She thumped Ba'ul on the back a few times for emphasis, still grinning from ear to ear.

_What has gotten into you this morning?_Ba'ul asked her good-naturedly as he lifted himself into the air. _You have not stopped smiling since you woke up._

"Do I need a reason to be happy?" Judith admonished her friend. "Maybe I just enjoy having free time for once!"

Ba'ul didn't buy it, but he didn't press the issue.

* * *

Later that day, Judith was sitting in a tavern in the great capital city of the Guilds - a sign over the door labeled it the Sagittarius Pub, though she had no idea why - bored out of her mind. As usual, she'd spent the morning in both of Dahngrest's casinos playing her favorite card game: poker. She wasn't entirely sure what it was about poker that she found so fascinating. All she knew was that it was fun, and she was good at it. So good at it, in fact, that she had put more than one casino out of business in her time. Most of them had since learned their lesson and now had a limit on how much you could win in one sitting, or they recognized Judith on sight and wouldn't let her in. When he did manage to sneak in, Judith usually hit the limit within a few hours and was promptly kicked out. She'd just have to wait until the guild that ran the casinos forgot her face before she tried to go back - it didn't usually take more than a month or so.

She'd spent the afternoon wandering the streets and looking at the various goods for sale in the booths that lined the streets, but didn't really want to buy anything besides basic camping supplies, as well as some medical gels. Forced to carry everything she owned with her while she traveled, Judith simply didn't have anywhere to put whatever she might be tempted to buy. She did spend a fair amount of time in some clothing stores trying on various outfits, but in the end she still came out empty handed - clothing was bulky and hard to transport.

_Besides, things like this aren't very good for fighting in,_ she'd thought as she held a beautiful black top against herself and sighed. _I'd probably end up ripping it on a sword or get blood on it or something. _She regretfully returned it to the rack.

The sun was dipping close to the horizon before she finally felt hungry for dinner. She'd been standing outside the Sagittarius Pub at the time and figured it was as good a place as any. Since she had so much extra money from her gambling she'd decided to order several different dishes and try them all out, eating all of what she liked and saving the rest for Ba'ul - he'd eat anything she gave him. In fact, she was pretty sure he would eat rocks and not complain.

_I do not like eating rocks, _Ba'ul informed her._ They taste very bland and require too much chewing._ It was hard to tell whether he was joking or not.

_Ba'ul!_ Startled, Judith almost dropped her fork. She hadn't thought Ba'ul was close enough to hear her. _I didn't think you were listening._

_There is nothing else for me to do,_ he complained. _I do not like waiting._

_Neither do I_, Judith responded with a sigh. _Waiting is boring. Everywhere else we've gone something exciting has happened. Why is it that when we reach the busiest and most interesting city on the continent, nothing happens?_

_Be careful what you wish for,_ Ba'ul warned her, but it was too late.

Something exciting happened.

Judith's first warning was the sound of a woman screaming outside, followed shortly afterward by the sounds of several men yelling.

"You're not serious," Judith said incredulously. She threw far more gald than she owed on the table and ran out the door to see what was going on.

The streets of Dahngrest were in chaos. People were running everywhere in a panic, trying to get away from...something. Judith couldn't get anyone to stop running long enough to tell her what was going on.

_Ba'ul, everyone in Dahngrest is panicking and running away from the southern bridge. Can you tell what's going on from where you are?_

_No, I am on the ground at the moment. I will fly up and tell you what I can see. I am not that far away._

Not bothering to wait that long, Judith looked around for a place where she could get a better view of what the commotion was for herself. She quickly decided that the rooftops would serve her purpose quite nicely; it was only a few quick leaps to the top of the three-storey building across the street from the inn, which gave her a clear view to the bridge. Ba'ul contacted her again just as she reached the top of the building and saw the source of the chaos.

_There are a large number of monsters approaching the city from the south,_ Ba'ul informed her.

_Yes, Ba'ul, I see that now,_ Judith said faintly.

Monsters were swarming across the southern bridge, heading deeper into the city by the second, pushing crowds of terrified people in front of them - unfortunately, not all of them got away. In the field beyond the bridge hundreds more of the beasts were milling about, fighting each other for the chance to charge into the city.

"Why isn't the barrier keeping them out?" Judith thought aloud. Looking upward, she quickly answered her own question: the protective white rings of the barrier blastia were nowhere to be seen in the sky above.

_Ba'ul, the barrier blastia isn't working! What happened?_

_I do not know why the blastia would not be working, nor do I know why all of these monsters have gathered to attack the city. It is very unfortunate timing for the humans._

"A little too unfortunate, if you ask me," Judith grumbled to herself through clenched teeth._ Ba'ul, I don't think this was an unlucky coincidence. I'm going to go check-_

An ear-splitting scream interrupted Judith's thought to Ba'ul. Her eyes searched the ground below for the source and were met by a scene straight from her own nightmares.

She saw a little girl - no more than ten years old - kneeling on the ground, her long red hair falling across the still body of a man who lay cradled in her arms. The man was obviously dead; he had a grotesque foot-long cut down the center of his back which oozed blood all over the cobblestones, as well as the girl's frilly pink dress. Judging by how similar the two looked, Judith knew the girl had just witnessed her father's gruesome death right before her eyes. The monster responsible resembled a large praying mantis, reaching at least eight feet high. It waved it's two massive scythe-like arms in the air as it moved toward the girl, preparing for a second killing blow.

Sickening images flashed through Judith's mind of her own father's death. She watched as the scene from her memory began to play itself out in front of her all over again; just as she had been powerless to save her father back then, so was this little girl unable to do anything but clutch the dead body in her lap and cry until death claimed her as well. But while Judith had had Ba'ul to save her, there was no one waiting to save this poor child.

_I can't let this happen! _Judith thought to herself, accidentally sending the message to Ba'ul as well. _Never again!_

_Let what happen?_ Her friend said to her. _Judith? What is happening?_

Despite being unarmed except for the belt knife on her left leg, Judith leapt from her rooftop perch without a second thought.

_I will protect that girl, even if I have to do it with my bare hands!_ She screamed in her mind, full of determination.

_Judith, what are you doing?_Ba'ul demanded, but Judith was too consumed in her rage to hear him.

Judith kicked forward with the heel of her boot as she landed on the skull of the approaching mantis. She heard a sickening crunch as the head was pushed to the ground, then heard a snap as her sharp boot heel punctured through the beast's exoskeleton, followed shortly after by the rest of her foot. The entire beast's body fell limp to the ground, the two scythed arms falling limply to the ground as its life drained through the hole in it's skull.

Judith ran to the girl, who was still cradling her dead father's head in her arms. She was sobbing so hard her entire body shook while she pulled on the man's bloody shirt in a futile attempt to make him wake up.

"Are you all right?" Judith asked the child, quickly examining her. She appeared to be physically unhurt. "Can you walk?"

"My daddy," the girl choked out between racking sobs, "my daddy won't move. Daddy, move, we have to go! Daddy!" She shook her father's corpse, not able to understand that he was dead.

"Listen to me!" Judith grabbed the girl fiercely by the arms, shocking her into silence. "What's your name?"

"Meredith," the girl replied, tears pouring down her cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at Judith.

"Listen Meredith," Judith tried to keep the panic and emotion from her voice as she spoke, "your daddy can't come with us. He-" She was interrupted by a chorus of growling coming from the street behind her. Turning around, she saw a group of three boar monsters coming around the corpse of the mantis she'd just slain.

Judith released the girl's arms and stood up, keeping herself between the girl and the three monsters as they approached the smell of fresh blood.

"Go over there," Judith told the girl, pointing toward a nearby alley. When she didn't immediately move, Judith pushed her in the right direction and shouted, "Go!" Finally the girl obeyed, leaving her father's body in the street.

Judith threw rocks at the three approaching monsters to keep their attention off the child as she ran to her hiding place. Cursing at herself for leaving her spear with Ba'ul, she scanned the ground for something she could use as a weapon. Her eyes met with a five foot long splintered piece of wood that used to be part of a nearby house; it had since been torn to pieces by the invading monsters, leaving pieces of the frame scattered about the street.

One of the monsters abruptly reared in the air and charged. Judith easily dodged the beast with a nimble roll to the side, coming up at a run towards the wood. As she reached the length of timber she quickly glanced behind her; the two remaining monsters were right on her heels, tusks down and ready to rip her open if she stopped for even a second.

Thinking quickly, Judith bent down and grabbed hold of the plank with one hand as she ran by. As she approached the building on the far side of the street Judith leapt into the air, still going full speed. She kicked her feet out in front of her and bent her knees as she collided with the wall, then used the force to spring herself away again, launching her body through the air in the opposite direction. She soared over the first confused boar and, grabbing the wooden plank with both hands, swung the improvised weapon down on the skull of the second monster with all her might. She was rewarded with the sound of bone cracking as the stout timber proved to be the stronger of the two. Judith winced with pain as the shock of the blow resonated up the wood, but she managed to hold on to the makeshift weapon.

Before the second boar could turn around to deal with the threat behind it Judith swung the plank as hard as she could, slamming it into the side of the beast with so much force that the wood shattered into a thousand splinters. Most of the shrapnel embedded itself in the monster's hide as it flew across the street, but some of it blew back at Judith. She barely noticed as she received a few nicks and cuts from the flying wooden shards, making little trails of blood along the exposed portions of her arms and legs.

Judith's mind barely had time to register that she'd been wounded before she saw the third boar, the one she'd rolled away from, heading for the girl in the alley. The child stood paralyzed in fear as the monster charged down on her, ready to tear her to pieces.

Hefting what remained of her wooden plank like a javelin, Judith quickly took aim and threw it at the final boar. Despite being such a horrible weapon the shattered timber flew straight and true, burying half its length in the boar's side. The strength of the throw knocked the boar several feet through the air, where it collided with the side of a building with another sickening thud. The monster fell to the ground, motionless.

Judith wasted no time in rushing over to the little girl. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth wide open in a silent scream of terror.

"Listen to me!" Judith said as she grabbed the girl by the arms again. When there was no response, she grabbed the girl's head in one hand and turned it, forcing her to look into Judith's eyes. "I said listen to me!" Judith yelled again. "I'm going to get you out of here! Do you hear me?"

Tears still streaming down her face, the girl finally snapped out of her trance. She nodded her head slowly in understanding, her mouth still hanging wide open as she tried not to see the blood running from Judith's cuts and scrapes.

"Good," Judith exhaled a breath in relief. "Get on my back." The girl was small and light, her arms reaching over Judith's shoulders as her legs wrapped around the Krityan's waist. Judith winced as the girl's hands rubbed against one of the cuts on her shoulders.

"Good girl," Judith encouraged the frightened child, ignoring the pain. "Hold on as tight as you can. Now Meredith, I want you to close your eyes and count to thirty really slowly, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Y-yeah..." the girl replied with a sniff. She closed her eyes and started counting. "One...two..."

"Slower," Judith said. "And don't open your eyes for anything until you reach thirty." Then she turned to look down the street.

Monsters were continuing to pour across the south bridge, filling the intersection of the street Judith was on and the one that lead back into the center of town. She didn't think she'd be able to get onto the rooftops again while she carried the little girl, which meant her only option was to somehow get through the press of monsters without getting herself, and the poor girl, killed.

_I am coming,_ Ba'ul said, _I can pick you up-_

_No!_ Judith yelled back at him. _It's too dangerous! Everyone will think you're a monster and try to kill you too! _She took a deep breath to steady herself. _Don't worry Ba'ul, I can do this._

Ba'ul did not reply, but Judith was sure wherever he was, he was grumbling to himself that this was not a good idea. He was probably right.

_I will save this girl!_ She took off at a run, her expression an intense mix of determination, concentration, and a hint of desperation.

Armed with only her leg knife and burdened by the small child on her back, Judith had no choice but to avoid combat. She decided that was probably for the best anyway, since any attempt to stop and fight a monster would just give three more the opportunity to attack her. She stuck to the side of the road and kept as close to the buildings as she could in an attempt to draw as little attention as possible as she sprinted for the intersection.

She cursed her luck when she heard chorus of squeals and hisses to her right, informing her she'd been spotted. She continued her mad dash forward, hoping to outrun anything that tried to catch her. Unfortunately, Judith could see ahead of her that one boar was charging her head-on, coming in from the right. There was no way she'd be able to get past it.

As the monster approached Judith leapt into the air, aiming for the top of the window in the building on her left. She deftly placed her left foot on the top of the frame, no more than two inches thick, and used it to push herself off again. She heard a dull thud as the monster charged head first into the wall below her as she sailed safely through the air above it.

As she reached the apex of her jump, Judith saw her landing spot was already occupied by a giant mantis. She swiftly drew the dagger from its leg sheathe and threw it, aiming for the insectoid's head. The knife sliced through the air and hit its mark, penetrating deep into the eye of the beast. While not a killing blow like Judith had been hoping for, the monster hissed in pain, giving Judith the opening she needed. She landed gracefully in front of the monster, then crouched down and sprinted through a gap between two of the monster's six legs before it recovered from the knife wound.

"Fifteen...sixteen..." Judith heard Meredith continue her steady count, her face pushing hard into the back of Judith's shirt as her hands gripped her tightly.

Thanks to Judith's aerial maneuvers she now had a clear path to the intersection. She rounded the corner at full speed and headed down the main street toward the city center. That was the last place she remembered seeing people fighting the monsters before she'd impulsively leapt to save Meredith, which meant that was the fastest way to safety.

"Nineteen...Ten-teen...wait, no, um..." Meredith mumbled against her back.

Judith spared a quick glance behind her and saw another wave of monsters coming down the road. Maybe it was just her imagination getting carried away, but it felt like they were all looking directly at her. They were also catching up to her; she couldn't run any faster, burdened as she was by the girl.

_I can still make it,_ Judith encouraged herself. _I have to!_

She had just started to wonder why there weren't any monsters on the road ahead of her when one of the cobblestones on the street came loose, sending her left foot flying out from under her. Completely off balance, Judith couldn't help but fall. Her first instinct was to go into a roll to cushion herself, but the girl clinging to her back eliminated that option.

She landed hard on her left knee, gasping in pain as she skidded across the stone path, her momentum still pushing her forward. When she finally came to a halt she threw her arms in front of her face, cushioning the blow to her head as she fell face-first into the ground.

Slightly dazed form her tumble, Judith winced at the searing pain in her legs as she forced herself back to her feet, then turned around. She saw that the closest monsters were almost upon her. There was no way she could escape them now, especially with an injured leg.

The first to reach her was another of the mantis beasts. It hissed in triumph as it charged, raising both of its scythed claws in the air, then brought them down towards Judith in two vicious strikes. Judith managed to dodge the first strike by sliding to the right, but when she tried to duck under the second slash her left knee buckled under the weight, sending her sprawling across the roadway with a gasp of pain. The mantis's attack sliced a hair's breadth away from her head as her left leg collapsed under her. A scream of pain escaped her lips as she fell, sprawled across the roadway.

Hissing in triumph, the mantis raised its right claw again, ready to strike a fatal blow as Judith lay prone on the ground, unable to escape.

"Twenty one..." Meredith said, completely oblivious to her impending doom as it sliced through the air toward her. Judith threw her arms up over her face in a futile, instinctive attempt to shield herself from the attack.

A burst of blue energy suddenly slammed into the monster, knocking it off balance; the deadly swipe sliced through the air only a hair's breadth away from Judith's head. The mantis hissed in what started as anger, but quickly became pain as one of its arms was cleanly sliced off by the flash of a blade, followed shortly after by the head. The monster stayed upright for a few moments before it collapsed, as if it had not yet realized it was dead. Still amazed that she was somehow alive, Judith looked at the man holding the sword that had saved her life.

He had a hard grizzled face, covered in a number of impressive scars, the kind that always had an interesting story to accompany them. Judging by his shoulder-length white hair the man was rather old, though the rest of his body didn't seem to be any worse for the number of years it had been around. His shirt hung open lazily as though he'd just roused himself from bed, revealing an impressive array of chest muscles that any man could be jealous of. However, despite his disheveled appearance there was an unmistakable focus in the man's eyes as he smiled down at two females he'd just saved. His arms and legs were as thick as tree trunks, and his massive right hand held a wickedly curved sword with skill and ease. It was obvious this was a man who had seen his fair share of battles, and was not to be trifled with.

"Go!" The barrel of a man yelled at her, pointing the way she'd just been running. "The streets back that way are safe!" Then he turned to the fighters who followed him, waving his sword in the air. "C'mon men, let's show this trash what happens when you try to mess with the Union!" Then the man charged into the press of monsters, the other warriors following fearlessly after him while screaming their own battle cries. Judith stared after them for a moment, her shocked mind still not quite able to grasp everything that had just happened.

"Twenty three..." Meredith's tiny voice snapped Judith's mind back into focus. She forced herself back to her feet and took off at a limping run in the direction the man had indicated.

She'd only gone a short distance when she turned another corner and saw a barricade of vendor stalls set up across the breadth of the street. Several men armed with swords stood behind the makeshift bulwark, charged with the duty of stopping any monster from getting past them. Beyond the barricade Judith could see a milling crowd of people; people who had been standing in the streets when the attack came and didn't know where else to go. Mass confusion was the order of the day, but someone had miraculously organized the citizens of the city into a defense regardless.

Upon seeing her stumble around the street corner several of the men rushed out from their shelter to escort Judith back to the safety of the barricade. As soon as she was safely behind the stalls she collapsed to her knees, wincing as her leg injury rubbed against the cobblestones.

"Thirty!" she heard Meredith yell from her back. The girl opened her eyes and looked around timidly, afraid that there were still monsters around. After looking over the crowd for a few seconds, she pointed at a nearby woman in the crowd and yelled emphatically at the top of her lungs.

"Mommy!"

At the sound of her daughter's voice the woman turned, seeing Meredith as she climbed off Judith's back. "Meredith!" The woman exclaimed, rushing forward. The girl ran to her mother who picked her up in her arms, hugging her fiercely. Judith remained on her knees and tried to catch her breath, watching the tearful reunion with a smile on her face. Despite her injuries she could feel an odd warm feeling spreading inside her. It felt good.

_Maybe Ba'ul was right,_ she thought to herself as her smile widened. _Maybe there still is some kindness left in my heart, after all._

Still refusing to let go of her daughter, the mother's expression became fearful as she turned to Judith."My husband...?" she asked, dreading the response.

Judith's smile instantly vanished. She met the woman's gaze, filled with fear and hope against the impossible, and sadly shook her head.

"He saved your daughter," she said solemnly.

The woman's eyes brimmed with tears, but she remained in control of herself, simply nodding at the news. "I'm Meredith's mother, Yvonne. Thank you for bringing my daughter back to me," she said, her voice filled with sincerity. "I don't have much, but if you come by later I can give you something as a reward..."

"No," Judith declined with a smile, "that's all right."

"Please," Yvonne insisted. "I may not own much, but everything I have can be replaced." She hugged her daughter tightly again. "Everything except my family."

Seeing that the woman wasn't likely to give in, Judith smiled and nodded. "All right then."

Yvonne smiled in gratitude once more, told Judith how to reach her house, then carried her daughter off to fuss over her in private.

Sufficiently recovered from her ordeal, Judith stood and headed off through the throng of people milling about behind the barricade.

_Judith, are you all right?_ Ba'ul suddenly yelled in her mind. In all the mayhem she'd completely forgotten about poor Ba'ul.

_Yes Ba'ul, I'm fine now. I'm sorry I worried you._

_What happened to you? What did you do?_

_I'll tell you later,_ she said to her friend. _Right now I'm going to find out what's going on around here._ She broke into a run, trying not to limp as she headed in the direction of the barrier blastia.

"Someone set this up..." Judith growled, her voice full of rage. Wetness glistened in the corners of her eyes as she imagined a little girl, forced to stand there and watch as her father was mercilessly cut down in front of her. She had just seen it happen to Meredith, but every time she imagined the scene in her mind, it was herself that stood there in her place. The difference was, unlike the girl, Judith wasn't helpless.

"...and I'm not going to let them get away with it."

* * *

This is a much better length for a chapter. The next one is about this long too, maybe longer. I haven't actually finished it yet, which also means it might be a little bit before it gets up. I'm hoping not too long, I'm taking a break from my other stuff to get it finished.

So, I bet you never thought I'd make Judith do a Luna Crush with a wooden plank, huh? The javelin throw thing wasn't really a move, she just has good aim. I guess you could consider it a Moonbeam variant, if you wanted.

I don't care what level you learn moves at, my Judith knows most of them. I mean really, why does it take until level 42 for her to learn how to poke things with the back end of her spear? Honestly. She doesn't have any altered or cutscene-induced artes though, I figure you could actually attach a bit of plot to their development so I left them out.

Back in the chapter at Caer Bocram you may have also recognized some of the moves she did, such as a Luna Rise off of Ba'ul's back, and a Moonlight Blast to poke Tison off into thin air. I meant to mention it back then but I forgot. I'm not the kind of guy who makes his characters yell out arte names - it sounds way too cheesy in writing - but that doesn't mean they aren't happening. Next chapter in particular is going to have quite a few of them, see if you can spot them all - I'll put a list in the author's note at the bottom.

I know I got kind of graphic in this chapter, but, well...there's nothing in here that you didn't get by playing the game. It's people running around with swords and spears, you have to expect a few casualties. Hopefully it doesn't upset anyone. If anyone thinks I should rate this M I'd probably do it, but I don't really think it's necessary.

Thanks to all the new people who favorite'd/reviewed/stopped by! And the returning readers as well, of course. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too :).


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Judith approached the barrier blastia discreetly, still favoring her right leg. She'd found a scrap of cloth and wrapped it around her injured left shin to stop the bleeding but it still hurt when she put pressure on it. She was hoping to catch whoever was messing with the blastia by surprise.

Peering around the corner of the street the blastia was on, Judith saw what was starting to become a very familiar scene. Huddled around the barrier blastia was the five-member group she'd run into so many times in the past week. The red-haired mage was fiddling with the blastia formula; Judith watched as the barrier blastia rings appeared in the sky once again and the girl heaved a sigh of relief. The mysterious pink-haired girl was there as well, along with the man in black, the young boy, and the strange dog.

_It seems like wherever I go, these people follow. _Judith could hear the cheers of the townspeople as they noticed the barrier was back up. _And something strange happens every time._

Then Judith noticed the bodies of five men in red jumpsuits on the street below the blastia body. _So those are the ones responsible. Well, I'd have liked to gotten a chance to do it myself, but..._

A shift in the shadows on the roof of one of the buildings opposite her caught Judith's eye. It was very slight so she thought she might have been imagining things. Still, she continued to watch the spot, and was quickly rewarded by a flash of red glass: someone was up there.

After observing the figures for short while, Judith was able to identify at least three sets of blood-red tinted goggles in the darkness of the shadows, quietly huddling out of view of the group below. She was trying to discern if there were a fourth when her scrutiny was interrupted by the clanging sound of armor coming up behind her. Not wanting to take her eyes from the shadowed spot on the rooftops, Judith pressed against a nearby building and tried to look inconspicuous as a troop of Imperial Knights marched down the street toward the blastia, led by a young blonde swordsman.

_They abandoned their comrades below to pull attention away from themselves and escape, _Judith practically spat as the mysterious figures on the roof began to slip away. She carefully followed after them, asking Ba'ul to meet her in the forest beyond the barrier. _I'll have to teach them a lesson._

* * *

After reuniting with Ba'ul, Judith spared a few minutes to properly dress her leg wound and eat a gel before she grabbed her spear. The sun dipped below the horizon as Judith mounted Ba'ul, a beautiful crescent moon rising into the sky as the pair took flight.

"They headed west into the forest," Judith told her partner. "The moon's bright enough that I should be able to track them from up here, so try to stay out of sight. I'm interested to see where they're going." She admittedly knew very little about the countryside surrounding Dahngrest, but to the best of her knowledge there weren't any other towns nearby. Where could they possibly be going...?

The moon was well into the sky before Judith finally spotted the group of men below. Dressed all in black as they were it had been hard to discern their movements from those of the trees blowing in the wind, but in the end it was the red-tinted glass of their strange goggles that gave them away as the moonlight reflected off them.

"There they are," she pointed out to Ba'ul. "Now let's see if we can figure out where they're going."

They shadowed the figures silently for at least another hour before Ba'ul noticed a strange shape on the horizon. After flying a bit closer, Judith discovered that it was a large mansion, built on the highest point of the plateau overlooking Dahngrest. Judging from the direction of the men below, it was definitely their destination. She motioned for Ba'ul to fly back over their quarry.

"I think it's time finish this," Judith said to Ba'ul.

_You are injured. Are you sure you can handle all four of them alone?_

"Just make sure none of them try to run away," she responded grimly. Then she threw her right leg over and rolled off Ba'ul's back, falling toward the assassins below.

* * *

The four men moved quickly but quietly through the forested countryside, trying to reach the safety of the mansion before dawn broke. The mission to deactivate the barrier blastia had been a success, but they had unfortunately underestimated the responsiveness of the town's defenses. They had hoped to keep the barrier down for several hours rather than several minutes. It was important that they return to the Manor and report.

They travelled in single file, keeping several feet apart. The man leading the column was no one in particular, he merely happened to be the first one out of the city. He kept a careful eye on his surroundings for any surprises. Unfortunately, he did not pay much attention to the sky above him, so he didn't notice the figure rapidly falling toward him until it was too late.

Judith's right foot connected squarely with the man's face as she fell from the sky, using the man's body to break her fall. Not that falling long distances posed a threat to her - she'd long ago discovered the trick to landing safely from any height, provided she wasn't distracted. She heard a crunch as the man's skull caved in, sending a splatter of blood across her leg. She quickly stood and readied her spear as the remaining three assassins approached, weapons drawn.

Judith regarded them coolly. "You're the ones who made the barrier malfunction, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

The now-leading man quickly evaluated the situation: one single woman wielding a spear, her left leg wrapped in a bandage, against three trained assassins. A Krityan woman, no less! The Kritya weren't exactly known for their fighting prowess. Now that she no longer had the element of surprise, the man was sure that she would pose no obstacle. Glancing quickly to his comrades, he saw them nod - they had reached the same conclusion. In silent agreement, the three men attacked.

Together, the three attackers planned to come at the woman from three different angles simultaneously. There was no way she'd be able to escape all of their attacks at once. It was a pretty predictable maneuver, but there was no way a Krityan woman would know anything about fighting.

Judith steadfastly held her ground as the three men approached. The men grinned as they closed in for the kill. What a stupid woman - this was too easy.

Just as they began to swing their weapons for killing blows, Judith suddenly vanished. All three of the assassins struggled to stop their attacks mid-swing, lest they cut their one of their companions in half. All three of men looked around for signs of the mysterious woman, but there was no sign of her.

Reappearing a brief second later in the air above the trio of attackers, Judith executed the second stage of her attack. Drawing power from the aer surrounding her, Judith focused it into the tip of her spear. By chance, one of the men glanced upward just in time to see Judith, framed by the full moon in the sky behind her as she hurled her spear toward the ground. The man hopped backward and covered his face just as the spear connected with the ground beside the other two, releasing a powerful blast of aer that sent his companions flying.

Judith landed and smoothly pulled her spear from the ground, then wasted no time in rushing the one who had avoided her attack. _Their strength is in their pack tactics. If I can keep them separated I should be able to take them down quickly._

The assassin was ready for her initial assault, parrying her overhand thrust and backhand slash attacks. However, with all of his attention on keeping the spear away from himself, the man neglected to notice Judith's foot as she kicked at the man's knees. The blow connected, knocking him off balance. Before he could bring his blades around to parry another attack, Judith did a swift backflip, bringing the heel of her foot up into the man's chin. Her opponent flew backward with a crunch of broken teeth, landing on the ground in a heap.

Sensing a shift in the air behind her with her antennae, Judith quickly spun around to meet the other two assassins as they leapt at her from behind. Judith evaded with a nimble jump backward. She rebounded off a nearby tree, pushing off the trunk as hard as she could with her legs. She flew back at the two men as they landed where she'd been just a moment ago, moving so quickly she seemed like a blur. It was all one of the two could do to raise his weapons to block Judith's attack as she swept at him like a bird of prey.

Judith only touched the ground for the briefest moment before pushing herself skyward again, her spear locked with the blades of one of her two opponents. Caught completely off guard by the maneuver, the man was helpless as Judith pushed him into the air in front of her.

After the two were a few feet above the ground again, Judith abruptly halted her forward momentum, disentangling her spear from the assassin's blades. She then focused another burst of aer into her spear, releasing it in a powerful horizontal slash. A transparent blade of energy extended from the tip of her spear as she swung it around towards the helpless assassin, who threw his weapons up in a futile attempt to parry the attack. The aer-charged spear cleaved cleanly through the slim blades before biting into the man's side, inflicting a mortal wound.

Judith spun in the air from the momentum of her attack, coming to a stop facing the last of the three attackers as he leapt at her from below. Blocking his slashing attack from below with her spear, she swiftly slammed her right knee into the man's face, followed immediately after by her left. Dazed, the man crashed to the ground, lying prone on his back.

Judith landed neatly on the ground a few feet from her final opponent. As he tried to regain his senses, Judith casually walked up beside him and struck the ground beside the man's head with her spear, burying it several inches deep in the dirt. She leaned over the man and smiled.

"How does it feel?" She said nonchalantly, pushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "How does it feel to be powerless in the face of death?"

The man's eyes darted in panic as he tried to figure out how to escape with his life. Judith pulled her spear from the ground beside his head and leveled it at his neck to get his attention back.

"A lot of people died because of what you did today," Judith hissed, quickly losing her temper. "Because of you, that poor little girl is going to grow up without the love of her father," Then she smiled again, "But of course, what would someone like you, who sells their soul for money, know about love?"

As she raised her spear for a killing blow, Judith heard a whistle of air behind her. She just barely managed to throw herself backward in time to avoid the arrow that hissed through the air where she'd just been standing. She nimbly dodged around two more arrows as they zipped through the air toward her.

Seeing his opportunity, the man at Judith's feet slashed wildly at her legs with his blades. Already distracted and off balance, Judith desperately hopped backward. She avoided most of the man's assault, but just as she danced out of his range his final attack grazed her injured left leg. As she gritted her teeth against the pain, she was distracted enough that she failed to completely avoid the next arrow, which grazed along in the left side of her chest.

Judith's left leg collapsed as a burning feeling spread from the arrow wound. She fell to one knee as the man in front of her jumped to his feet, ready to take full advantage of his reversal of fortune.

Grabbing her spear with both hands, Judith grit her teeth against the stitching pain in her side as she brought it up in a vicious arcing slash. In a single stroke she cleaved the man in front of her in two from crotch to shoulder, a shocked look on his face. She then turned to find the source of the arrows.

She saw the first of the men she'd attacked a short distance away just as he finished reloading his small crossbow. She'd mistakenly thought he'd been knocked unconscious - a mistake which had almost cost her life. As Judith dashed toward him he unleashed another volley of bolts in her direction. Favoring her right leg, Judith nimbly dodged around the projectiles without too much trouble, knocking one away with her spear that was too close to avoid.

Seeing his attacks were ineffective, the assassin tossed his bow aside. Before he could draw his swords, however, Judith surged forward with a sudden burst of speed and impaled the man on the tip of her spear. He feebly groped at the object in his chest a few times before his body went limp, a surprised look frozen on his face in death.

The fight was over. Brief but fierce, Judith cursed herself for allowing her anger to make her careless. Her side burned from the arrow wound she'd received. She tested her left leg and found she was able to limp on it, but only just - any prolonged pressure caused a searing pain to shoot up her entire leg.

Unable to land in the dense forest, Ba'ul circled in the sky above. Judith sent him a mental message that she would meet him in a nearby clearing.

_Are you injured? _Ba'ul asked.

_Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix,_ Judith replied as she took an apple-flavored gel from the pouch at her waist and popped it in her mouth. She could feel its healing properties take effect almost immediately as the pain in her leg and side lessened. By the time she found Ba'ul in the clearing the arrow cut had stopped bleeding and she could almost walk on her leg again.

She waved to Ba'ul as he descended. She could tell he was worried about her, so she smiled brightly to try and dispel his fear. It didn't work.

_There is blood on you,_ Ba'ul said. _Most of it is yours. Are you sure you're all right?_

"Yes Ba'ul, I'm fine. I just got a little careless and got a couple of little cuts. One gel and a night in a bed and I'll be fine." Then she frowned as she took a good look at herself. Small bloodstains covered most of her skin and clothing, as well as a healthy amount of dust and dirt remained from her flight through the streets of Dahngrest. "I certainly am filthy though." She inspected her two wounds carefully, relieved to see that neither of them were very deep. "I certainly hope neither of them scar," she said to herself aloud, "it would look quite unladylike."

_Maybe you should have listened to me and gone to get your armor._

"There was no time, I didn't want them to get away," Judith brushed off the suggestion. "However, I don't think that inn I was staying at has a shower..." Judith was suddenly struck by a wave of dizziness, stumbling into Ba'ul's side.

_You are exhausted,_ Ba'ul scolded. _You need to rest before you collapse._

"You're right," Judith reluctantly agreed. Then she smiled as a wonderful idea popped into her head. "I think I know how to solve both problems," she said cheerfully, pulling herself up into her usual seat on Ba'ul's back, a task which seemed to require a lot more effort than usual. She really did need to get some rest, and she knew the perfect place.

* * *

Sunlight creeping through closed window shutters woke Judith. She opened her eyes, raising one hand to block out the sun's rays. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Judith looked around the room, trying to remember where she was.

She was lying in a small, simple bed with a single sheet covering her. It was obviously meant for a child; if Judith had stretched herself out her knees would be falling off the end of the bed. Luckily Judith had become accustomed to curling up for warmth while she was sleeping - it helped her stay warm on cold nights in the countryside.

The rest of the room was furnished with the kinds of things a child would own: dolls, toys, pictures. One of the pictures had three people in it: a man, his wife, and their daughter. Recognizing Meredith and Yvonne, Judith finally remembered where she was.

_I guess I made it here after all,_ Judith thought to herself. Ba'ul had dropped her off at the edge of Dahngrest and she'd walked into town on her own, completely exhausted. She could barely recall reaching the house she thought Yvonne had said was hers and knocking on the door; everything after that was a blur.

_Well, that answers one question. Now..._ Judith lifted the covers and looked at herself. _Why aren't I wearing any clothes?_ Before she could investigate further there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in!"

A smiling Yvonne entered the room, Judith's clothes held in her arms. "Ah, you're awake. That's good, I was afraid I'd disturb you."

"Disturb me? Yvonne, this is your house. I'm the one disturbing you, really." She motioned at the woman's arms. "Thank you so much for washing those, you really didn't have to do that."

Yvonne chuckled. "Honestly, I just couldn't help myself. After taking care of my husband and daughter for so many years, picking up after them has become something of a second nature, I guess. I just saw them lying there on the floor and thought you might like some clean clothes."

Judith blinked. "Lying on the floor?"

Yvonne nodded. "Yes, don't you remember?" Judith shook her head. "Oh, well, you did seem a little out of sorts when you arrived. Once I showed you where Meredith's bed was - she stayed with me for the night - you took them all off before climbing in. I think you said something about it being a shame to get such a nice bed dirty."

"I don't remember that," Judith said thoughtfully. "It certainly does seem like something I would say though. I got pretty dirty fighting off those monsters, and those four strange men fiddling with the blastia certainly did make a mess when I-" Judith abruptly cut off her self-narrative as she remembered who she was talking to.

"I...saw the blood on your clothes," Yvonne said nervously. It was obvious she was afraid to ask questions, but she needed to know the answers. "It wasn't all yours, was it?" Judith shook her head. "You said...there were men tampering with the barrier blastia. Then...what happened yesterday...wasn't an accident." Judith nodded. Yvonne took a deep breath before looking straight into Judith's eyes and asking, "Did you get them?"

When Judith nodded again, Yvonne let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it's good to know that they won't be around to cause any more problems. And...I'm sure that wherever Frederick is now, he'd rest easier knowing that the ones responsible for all of this have been brought to justice." At the mention of her husband's name Yvonne looked over at the picture on the nightstand, her expression a mix of love and sadness.

Judith allowed the woman a brief moment of reflection before she pulled herself back to the present. "Well, I suppose you're hungry. I've some fresh bread downstairs, if you'd like to come join us for lunch."

"Oh, no, that's all right, I wouldn't want to impose on you any...did you say lunch?"

Yvonne chuckled again. "Yes, you must have been very tired, you slept soundly all morning. But I won't have any of this 'imposing' nonsense, I insist that you eat with us. I've had my hands full trying to keep Meredith from disturbing you all day, she's been asking about you non-stop. It would really mean a lot to her if you'd stay," she finished with a smile.

"Well how can I say no to an offer like that?" Judith replied as she smiled back. "I'll be down as soon as I get changed into my wonderfully clean clothes."

Yvonne nodded and set the clothes down on a nearby chair. "I'll see you shortly, then," she said, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door handle clicked Judith swept away the blanket covering her and stood, stretching her arms over her head. She could feel a small tightness in her side from the wound she'd received the previous evening, but her leg felt as good as new. After carefully inspecting her closing wounds she happily decided that they would definitely not leave any marks after they were completely healed.

She casually strode across the room and picked up her clothing. Everything had been thoroughly cleaned and carefully folded to prevent any seams from appearing in the fabric. As she dressed she felt disappointed that she hadn't gotten a chance to take a shower before putting on clean clothes - she still felt dirty. _I'll ask Yvonne what I can do about that when I see her,_ she decided.

When she was finished dressing Judith turned to grab her spear from where she'd left it leaning against the wall. Grasping the weapon with both hands, she was immediately reminded of Ba'ul.

_Ba'ul! I forgot about him. He's probably worrying about me, like he always does._ She reached out mentally with her nageeg. _Ba'ul, are you there?_

_It is about time you woke up,_ her friend replied. _You slept much longer than usual today. Are you feeling better now? You looked horrible when I dropped you off last night._

_Yes Ba'ul, I feel much better now that I've had some rest. I'm about to eat lunch with the people who I'm staying with, then I'm going to see what I can do about getting a shower. I hope you don't mind keeping yourself occupied for a while longer?_

_Of course not. I found a group of bandits that have decided to set up a camp near the highway to Heliord. They are fun to play with._

Judith chuckled at her friend's idea of entertainment - though it truthfully wasn't too far from her own. _Did you hear anything from Phaeroh while I was out?_

_Yes. He said he will be here tomorrow evening. He also said again that we should stay away from the girl. There is definitely something about her that is upsetting him. He sounded angry. I did not feel brave enough to ask why. I don't blame you,_ Judith agreed. Phaeroh always sounded disgruntled to begin with - she really wouldn't want to upset him when he was truly angry. _I'm going to stay in Dahngrest for a while. I'll let you know if I need anything._

_Very well. I will stay nearby in case you need anything. Now if you will excuse me, my entertainment is running away. I must go and catch it._

_All right Ba'ul, good hunting,_ Judith replied with a mental laugh as she carefully hefted her spear and headed downstairs.

* * *

Judith spent the next hour eating a delicious lunch and chatting leisurely with Yvonne, while Meredith was bursting with questions for the world-traveled Krityan that she had suddenly decided to admire, who she now referred to as "Judy". Judith was more than happy to answer most of her questions, as most of them were just her asking what far-away places were like. Not many humans travelled outside the barriers these days due to the monsters, so to Meredith, Judith's knowledge was like a window into the wonders waiting outside of her reach.

At one point, Judith managed to ask Yvonne if there were any place nearby where she could clean herself off.

"Of course! There's public baths just down the street, near the river. Not much sense in having a shower installed in this old shack when there's a free bath just a five minute walk from here."

"That's understandable," Judith said with a nod, then stood up. "Thank you for everything, Yvonne," she said with a bow, "I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I really must be going, a friend of mine is getting impatient waiting for me. I'm sorry for imposing on you."

"Think nothing of it. As I said before, I owe you for saving my daughter's life. You'll always be welcome in my home." The two women briefly exchanged smiles of appreciation before Meredith ran up and hugged Judith's leg.

"Come back soon, okay Judy?" The little girl turned her big pair of blue, irresistible eyes up at Judith. "Your stories are better than mom's," she whispered.

"Of course," Judith replied, gently patting the girl on the head. "I'd be happy to tell you more stories, you're the most wonderful audience I've ever had." _The only audience, actually..._

The girl smiled happily. "Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed. "I just remembered! Stay here." Then she scurried up the stairs and out of sight.

Yvonne looked at Judith and shrugged. "I've no idea what that's all about. Why don't I show you to the door?"

The two women went out the front door, Yvonne pointing Judith in the direction of the baths and giving her a few final directions as they waited for Meredith to return. It was only a few moments later when they heard the little girl thumping down the stairs inside.

"Judy! Judy! Wait, don't leave yet!" She cried in a panic when she saw her mother's figure standing in the doorway with Judith nowhere to found.

"Relax Meredith, she's still here waiting for you. Now hurry up, there are other people in the world who need to see Judith too, and you're keeping her away from meeting them."

_That's...definitely putting things in a positive light, _Judith reflected.

"Here!" Meredith said, holding up a strange doll in both hands. "This is for you! Take it!"

Judith picked the toy up and turned it over in her hands, examining it. It was hard to describe in words; she'd never really seen anything like it before. It looked sort of like Ba'ul, if he'd been born with light blue scales. And was a fish.

"Mom bought that from a lady on the street with pointy ears like yours," the little explained. "She said it was an ant...ant a loo...um..."

"Entelexeia," Judith filled in.

The girl nodded excitedly. "That's it! It's my favorite one. I want you to have it. So you don't forget to come visit me."

"Well thank you, Meredith. Now it's my favorite too." _Not that it has a whole lot of competition. Now, where am I going to put this...?_ She noticed that the doll's two front flippers - that's what they looked like, anyway - had velcro on the ends. Seeing an easy solution, Judith turned her head sideways and grabbed hold of one of her antennae. She expertly threaded the two flippers through the strands of hair, then connected them again on the far side, effectively clamping the doll in place. She let the antennae fall back into place, then shook her head several times to make sure the doll wouldn't fall out again. "There. A perfect fit," she said to Meredith. "It's wonderful. Thank you very much."

After a final round of goodbyes and promises to return Judith was finally on her way, her spirits high despite the fact that she hated public baths. For some reason all the other women in the bath had a habit of glaring at her whenever she went in one.

_I thought you liked it when people stared,_ Ba'ul remarked. _You said it was fun._

_Staring, yes,_ Judith informed him, _not glaring. There's a difference. It's not my fault I was born like this._

_No, but that does not mean you should feel the need to show it off all the time._

_Going into a public bath is hardly 'showing off'._

_It is when you purposely walk into the wrong side._

Judith couldn't suppress the guilty smile that snuck onto her face. _We ran out of towels on our side and I didn't feel like getting dressed again. Come on, I was just having a little fun._

_I rest my case._

_...Shut up, Ba'ul._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I'm not quite dead! I've just been updating other things. I actually wrote this chapter a really long while ago (four months or so?) and just never got around to editing and posting it. The final sections with Yvonne were planned out but not written until just a little bit ago.

All of the moves Judith pulls out during the fight in this chapter are from the game. In case anyone's curious, here's the list in order of appearance:

Luna Havoc  
Moonbeam  
Crescent Moon  
Dawn Moon  
Luna Rondo  
Moonlight Blast  
Moonlight Talon  
New Moon Blade

See if you can spot them all! Also, a lot of the normal attacks she uses are also styled after the game's B-button attacks, particularly her 4-part attack on the guy that ends with her knee in his jaw. It's forward-back-down-up in the game. I know the physics of this fight don't really make sense, but they don't make sense in the game either, so I'm just going with it.

The doll Meredith gives Judith is the "Tiny Dragon" attachment part. It's incredibly hard to describe exactly what that thing looks like O.o. Hopefully everyone got the reference. I know it's in a treasure chest on the mountain, but I thought that was kind of lame, myself. It's the part I usually have on so I wanted to work it into the story somewhere. I'm also not sure if they've invented velcro in Terca Lumer-whatsit, but I honestly can't think of any other way that thing stays in her hair.

The end is just me being a little goofy. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. But based on how she acts at Jumanju, you have to admit it's totally something she'd do.

I feel kind of bad that I'm putting up such a short chapter after so long, but oh well. Better than nothing, I suppose. I do intend on finishing this eventually, though it probably won't be more than 3 or 4 more chapters to reach the point I want. I don't plan on covering the entire game, only up until Ba'ul evolves, with maybe a scene or two after that.

People keep reading this thing and giving it favorites even though I haven't updated in forever, so...thanks! :D Anything and everything is always appreciated. :)


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